Jerrod KingeryColorado is expanding its electric vehicle charging infrastructure with an infusion of both state and federal funding.
The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) are offering $17.3 million in grants through the Direct-Current Fast-Charging (DCFC) Plazas program.
Funding for these grants comes from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI) as well as Colorado’s Community Access Enterprise, which supports the statewide transition to electric vehicles.
The grants will be used to fund new fast EV charging ports at locations across the state.
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“Thanks to federal, state, local, and private investment, we’re seeing new places to charge electric vehicles showing up all over the state,” said CEO Executive Director Will Toor. “The ongoing state and federal investment through this program will have a huge impact on access to charging in Colorado, ensuring that the hundreds of thousands of Coloradans who are switching to electric cars can easily get where they need to go, while also saving money on fuel and maintenance costs.”
Grant awardees include charging station operators, fuel providers, convenience stores and local governments.
These NEVI-supported grants aim to fill charging gaps along Colorado’s federally designated alternative fuel corridors. CEO also awarded CAE funding for projects in communities with a growing demand for EV charging to meet local needs and those most affected by transportation-related air pollution.
Colorado has more than 161,000 EVs on the road, with EVs making up 25.3% of new car sales in the third quarter of 2024. The state is working to meet the increasing demand, and as of December, there were direct-current (DC) fast chargers located within 30 miles of nearly 80% of the state highway network.
CEO will provide funding to support the following EV-charging infrastructure projects:
- eCAMION: Antonito, Denver (x2), Fowler, Sargents.
- Electric Era Technologies: Aurora, Florissant, Holly, Julesburg, Idalia, Simla, Wiggins.
- EVGateway: Delta, Nunn.
- Francis Energy: Fraser, Cheyenne Wells.
- Helios Charging: Leadville.
- Ionna, LLC: Fruita.
- KS EV Peak Holdings: Dinosaur, Craig
- Love’s Travel Stops: Berthoud, Brighton.
- Phillips 66 Company: Aurora.
- Rivian: Idaho Springs, Walsenburg.
- Tesla: Aurora, Grand Junction, Louisville.
- Town of Mountain Village: Mountain Village.
CEO plans to offer two DCFC Plazas funding rounds per year. The next opportunity is expected to open in Spring 2025.
For more information about this program, including details about the most recent funding awards, you can visit the DCFC Plazas webpage.
Photo courtesy Ken Fields, CC BY-SA 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons
