Does Montana charge a demand charge on EV charging?

Yes — NorthWestern's GSEDS-1 bills about $14.36 per kW of the monthly 15-minute peak, bundled. The structure is the cleanest in the covered set: no ratchet, no time-of-use window, and no seasonal variation, so the bill tracks the site's own peak and nothing else.

How does Montana's 3¢/kWh charging tax work?

The public-charging tax applies to stations above 25 kW and has been in force since 2023. The utility collects it through a filed rate schedule on a dedicated charging meter and remits to the Montana Department of Transportation — the site operator files no return. The model includes it as an operating cost from year one; it bills on metered energy, which runs one to three percent above dispensed energy.

Is there sales tax on charging hardware in Montana?

No. Montana levies no general sales tax, so the model sets the one-time sales-tax line to zero for Montana sites.

ForgeAsset / Supercharger ROI / Montana

Tesla Supercharger ROI in Montana

Montana pairs one of the cleanest demand structures in the covered set with the simplest tax mechanics: NorthWestern Energy's general-service rate bills demand per kW of the plain monthly peak — no ratchet clause, no time window, no seasonal swing — and the state levies no general sales tax on the build-out. The state's 3¢/kWh public-charging tax is real money at volume, but the utility collects it on a dedicated meter, so the operator files nothing.

Model a Montana site

What makes Montana economics distinct

A demand charge with no fine print

NorthWestern's GSEDS-1 bills demand on the 15-minute monthly maximum, all hours, with no ratchet, no on-peak window, and no seasonal variation — the filed schedule's demand section is one line. At about $14.36 per kW bundled, the rate is mid-pack in dollars but first in predictability: the bill moves only with the site's own peak.

No sales tax on a seven-figure build

Montana levies no general sales tax, so charging hardware, switchgear, and installation are taxed nowhere at purchase — versus the 6% to 10% most covered states collect on capital equipment. Montana's utility taxes are embedded inside NorthWestern's filed rates rather than added to the bill, so the modeled rate is the billed rate.

The charging tax is the utility's paperwork, not yours

Montana's 3¢/kWh public-charging tax (MCA 15-70-802) has been in force since 2023 for stations above 25 kW. NorthWestern bills it through its filed PCST-1 schedule on a dedicated charging meter and remits to the state itself — the model carries it as an operating cost from year one, at about $24,000 per year at default volumes.

Interstate corridors with thin coverage

Montana's roughly 20 Supercharger stations string along I-90, I-15, and I-94 through Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Butte, and Great Falls — long corridor gaps and tourism flows toward Yellowstone and Glacier shape a demand profile driven by through-traffic rather than local density. NorthWestern's territory covers all six major metros.

Utilities and tariffs modeled in Montana

Utility & tariff	Energy	Demand
NorthWestern Energy GSEDS-1	10.4¢/kWh flat	$14.36/kW of monthly peak

Rates are digit-verified against each utility's own filed sheets and update within two weeks of any revision. Full derivations are on the methodology page.

Montana tax profile

Sales tax on hardware: 0%
Business personal property tax: none
Clean-fuels credit: no program
Per-kWh charging excise: 3.0¢/kWh (in force)

Montana tax defaults applied: no clean-fuels credit program exists in Montana (the LCFS revenue line is $0), Montana levies no general sales tax (the one-time sales-tax line is $0), and LLC costs use the $20/yr annual report. Business-equipment property tax exempts the first $1 million of statewide aggregate equipment value, which covers a single-site build — owners whose aggregate exceeds the exemption see roughly 1.1% of market value per year, and the field is editable. Montana's 3¢/kWh public-charging tax is in force and collected by the utility on a dedicated meter, included here as the energy-excise line from year one; it bills on metered rather than dispensed energy, which runs one to three percent higher than the modeled base. At default volumes the tax is on the order of $24,000 per year.

Montana programs and incentives

NEVI (federal, MDT-administered)

Roughly $43 million over five years for corridor DC fast charging along Montana's interstates; the Montana Department of Transportation administers awards in rounds.

Montana VW settlement trust

Montana's Volkswagen environmental-mitigation allocation has funded public charging in prior rounds; current-round status varies — site-specific grants enter the model through the grant inputs where awarded.

Montana charging market

Montana carries roughly 20 Supercharger stations across the I-90/I-15/I-94 corridors. NorthWestern Energy serves Billings, Bozeman, Missoula, Helena, Butte, and Great Falls; the eastern strip (Glendive, Miles City) is Montana-Dakota Utilities territory, which the model does not yet cover — addresses there see a named-utility notice rather than a wrong auto-selection.

Montana Supercharger ROI — questions

Does Montana charge a demand charge on EV charging?: Yes — NorthWestern's GSEDS-1 bills about $14.36 per kW of the monthly 15-minute peak, bundled. The structure is the cleanest in the covered set: no ratchet, no time-of-use window, and no seasonal variation, so the bill tracks the site's own peak and nothing else.
How does Montana's 3¢/kWh charging tax work?: The public-charging tax applies to stations above 25 kW and has been in force since 2023. The utility collects it through a filed rate schedule on a dedicated charging meter and remits to the Montana Department of Transportation — the site operator files no return. The model includes it as an operating cost from year one; it bills on metered energy, which runs one to three percent above dispensed energy.
Is there sales tax on charging hardware in Montana?: No. Montana levies no general sales tax, so the model sets the one-time sales-tax line to zero for Montana sites.

Sources

Model a Tesla V4 Supercharger site in Montana — payback, NPV, IRR, and a 15-year cash flow from your own inputs.

Run a Montana scenario

Other states: California, North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Illinois, Michigan, Tennessee, Idaho, Kansas, Nebraska, North Dakota, South Dakota, Wyoming. Coverage spans nineteen states in total — see the full list.

ForgeAsset is software, not investment, tax, or legal advice — outputs are model estimates from your inputs, not guarantees. Rates and programs current as of research; verify current terms with each source before committing capital.