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The Red Lake Nation Is Building an Electric Nation
- Native Sun Media
- 1 day ago
- 5 min read
Updated: 7 hours ago
By Peter Chipman and Rhonda Conn
On May 28, nearly 30 electric vehicles filled the Freedom to Drive Electric Vehicle and Renewable Energy Showcase at Red Lake Nation. Electric school buses, passenger vehicles, pickup trucks, box trucks, side-by-sides, e-bikes, and e-trikes showed how transportation electrification is already serving Red Lake schools, health services, agriculture, food systems, Tribal programs, and community members.
The Red Lake Nation ribbon-cutting ceremony.
SPEAKERS
The Red Lake Nation Chairman, Darrell G. Seki, Sr., District Representative - Ponemah, Eugene Standingcloud, Angela Dauphinais, CEO of Red Lake Gaming Enterprises, and Bob Blake.
Videography and editing by Sarah LittleRedfeaher Design
The day included a ribbon-cutting for Red Lake Nation’s first public DC fast charger at Seven Clans Casino. The Red Lake Nation Chairman, Darrell Seki Sr., spoke about the Nation’s investments in clean transportation and energy.
Videography and editing by Sarah LittleRedfeaher Design
Videography and editing by Sarah LittleRedfeaher Design
The event brought to life a vision that Bob Blake began advancing in 2020: an electric charging-station pipeline as an alternative to the oil pipelines that Native people had resisted across the Dakotas and Minnesota. That vision helped lead to the formation of Native Sun Community Power Development and its Electric Nation program.
Today, the Red Lake Nation has installed 25 EV chargers and placed 25 electric vehicles into service. ID. Buzz vans are helping community members reach dialysis appointments and receive food services. Electric school buses are transporting students. Electric pickups, side-by-sides, and box trucks are supporting agriculture, food transportation, government operations, and community programs.
One Ford F-150 Lightning demonstrated its bidirectional charging capability by powering a food truck during a school fundraiser. The showcase also included electric transportation options for elders, people with disabilities, families, and drivers seeking lower-cost travel.
Freedom to Drive showed what the Red Lake Nation has already built and where it is headed. Electric vehicles, charging infrastructure, renewable energy, and Tribal leadership are moving forward together. Red Lake is becoming an Electric Nation.
Photos by Nedahness Rose Greene
A Different Kind of Pipeline.
Bob Blake’s vision helped lead to the creation of Electric Nation, powered by Native Sun Community Power Development. Native Sun later received funding from the U.S. Department of Energy to expand electric transportation and charging infrastructure with Tribal Nations, including the Red Lake Nation.
Electric Transportation at Work
Red Lake Nation’s electric vehicles now serve health care, youth and family programs, education, agriculture, and Tribal operations. The Nation’s 25 chargers support its fleet, community members, and visitors.
Electric Volkswagen ID. Buzz vans are used by Red Lake Community Health Services and the Red Lake Nation Youth Shelter. The vehicles help community members reach dialysis appointments and access food services and other essential programs.
Electric vehicles also support women’s and family services. At the Red Lake buffalo farm, an electric side-by-side is used for agricultural and off-road work. Electric passenger vehicles, pickups, and trucks help Tribal departments move staff, equipment, and supplies throughout the community.
Red Lake’s electric school buses reduce diesel exhaust around students and schools while connecting student transportation with the Nation’s growing charging infrastructure. A refrigerated electric box truck is also planned to support the transportation of buffalo, produce, and other goods.
Public Charging and Economic Development
Located at Seven Clans Casino Red Lake, the new charger makes electric travel easier for community members, Tribal programs, casino guests, and other visitors. Drivers can charge while visiting the casino, attending events, conducting business, or traveling through the region.
The fast charger is enrolled in Minnkota Power Cooperative’s Infinity Renewable Energy program through the electric cooperative serving the site. Through the program, the electricity used for charging is matched with energy generated from renewable resources.
Seven Clans Casino Red Lake and Seven Clans Casino Thief River Falls now offer both DC fast charging and Level 2 charging. A Level 2 charger is also planned for Seven Clans Casino Warroad, which will become the third Seven Clans location in the Red Lake Nation’s public charging network.
Photos by Nedahness Rose Greene
Freedom to Drive
More than 200 people attended the second annual Freedom to Drive Electric Vehicle and Renewable Energy Showcase, held May 28 in partnership with PlugIn America. The event brought together vehicles from Red Lake Nation’s fleet, Beltrami Electric Cooperative, and electric vehicle owners across Minnesota.
Visitors could explore:
• E-bikes offering an affordable electric transportation option
• Accessible e-trikes for elders and people with disabilities
• Electric passenger vehicles and pickup trucks
• Electric box trucks for medium-duty and commercial uses
• An electric side-by-side used for agriculture, off-road work, and government services
• Red Lake’s electric school bus
One of the event’s clearest demonstrations came from a Ford F-150 Lightning. Using its bidirectional charging capability, the truck supplied electricity to the Red Lake School District’s fundraiser food truck.
The demonstration showed how an electric vehicle can support community activities and provide mobile power in addition to transportation.
A Ford F-150 Lightning used its bidirectional charging capability to power the Red Lake School District’s fundraiser food truck, demonstrating how an electric vehicle can provide mobile power for community activities.
Transportation, Technology, and Renewable Energy
Freedom to Drive included a wider look at the technologies and skills shaping the Red Lake Nation’s energy future.
Red Lake High School’s robotics club participated in the event, along with horticulture training and displays, a portable solar training lab, and information about the Nation’s renewable energy and distributed energy resource projects, including the Mukwa Solar Array.
Chairman Seki joined Tribal leaders and project partners for the ribbon-cutting ceremony marking the opening of the casino’s public DC fast charger. After speaking about the Red Lake Nation’s investment in clean transportation and energy, Chairman Seki drove a Chevrolet Silverado EV around the showcase.
Chairman Seki drove a Chevrolet Silverado EV around the showcase. Photos by Sarah LittleRedfeather.
Connecting Transportation and Energy Sovereignty
The Red Lake Nation’s electric fleet reduces dependence on external fuel markets and keeps transportation connected to infrastructure that serves the Nation’s priorities. Public and fleet chargers create opportunities to power transportation with renewable electricity, while bidirectional vehicles can provide mobile energy for community activities and future emergency needs.
This transportation work is developing alongside the Red Lake Nation’s investments in solar energy, distributed energy resources, workforce development, and Tribally owned energy infrastructure. The Mukwa Solar Array, the Nation’s new 3-megawatt solar project near Blackduck, will add another major renewable energy asset to that growing system.
Together, these projects strengthen the Red Lake Nation’s role in decisions about energy generation, transportation, infrastructure, economic development, and long-term community benefits.
Bob Blake’s vision of an electric charging station pipeline is now visible in vans carrying community members to appointments, buses transporting students, vehicles supporting agriculture and Tribal programs, and chargers connecting Red Lake with a growing regional electric transportation network.
The Red Lake Nation is building an Electric Nation.
