Does your location allow homeowners to do their own electrical work? Mine does, I did all the electrical for a water heater re-locate and conversion to heat pump. And as a retired EE, did all the design and installation of a large home solar PV system too. Permits and inspections still required, but I succeeded in passing. One may need to review new code requirements, but with your electrical experience (are you the electrical engineer, or am I confusing with a different thread?), it might be worthwhile, even if you have to buy some new tools. Does your garage door have enough slack to run the cord under the closed door? With adjacent spacers to take the door edge load, putting no pressure on the cord. I use a board slightly thicker than the extensions cords in question. Garage door openers should have adjustments for both closing travel distance, and maximum closing force permitted before they automatically reverse and re-open. This is for human safety, particularly for children, and I needed to go through these adjustments while doing my own installation three decades ago. If your opener doesn't currently have enough slack to run a cord and its protective spacer under, it should be adjustable to reach that status.
Do you have any more info about this program? I have Xcel in Colorado, and I can't find anything about it (in Colorado or anywhere else). I might try to bug them about bringing it here.
Nope. Sorry. All I know is that the pilot was so successful, they will be opening it up to everyone in the service area. You could just express interest for the same thing they are doing in Minneapolis. They would obviously know how to get detail... and you reaching out like that provides feedback they'll need anyway.
I don't know how interested I am without knowing more details. For example the time of use and peak demand plans are unappealing to me. This new program sounds better, but depending on the cost of the evse and the savings, it might or might not be worth it.