Many people across the nation are driving electric vehicles (EV), but there is hesitation among some who have “range anxiety” – the premise that consumers don’t feel confident driving an electric vehicle because they think they’ll run out of battery and not be anywhere near a charging station. A lack of EV fast-charging stations along major transportation corridors limits the ability of these drivers to engage in intra- and interstate travel, a major barrier for current and prospective EV owners.
To help address this barrier, the State of Colorado envisions a network of EV fast-charging stations along major transportation corridors that provide quick, convenient, and reliable charging and allow a driver in an EV to travel from one side of the state to the other without experiencing range anxiety.
The Colorado Energy Office is helping to alleviate range anxiety by increasing the EV charging infrastructure through the installation of charging stations at more public locations. If a company doesn’t currently have a charging station in its parking lot or garage, it can apply for a grant through Charge Ahead Colorado, a program administered by the Colorado Energy Office and Regional Air Quality Council that provides up to 80 percent of project costs for the EV chargers.
“Infrastructure is growing — we want people to feel confident owning and driving electric vehicles and charging anywhere they go,” said Zach Owens, program manager, Transportation, Fuels, and Technology at the Colorado Energy Office. “Most people charge their cars in their garage at home, and we want people to know they can charge at the places they go, such as shopping malls, work and even along highways.”
Some companies install charging stations as a benefit to their employees. Shopping malls often offer the service as an amenity, according to Owens, who manages Charge-Ahead Colorado grants for both Level II and DC (Direct Current) fast charging. Level II charging takes approximately two-to-four hours; these charging stations are usually located in public places like workplaces, parking garages and shopping malls. DC fast charging is more powerful, with the ability to charge a car within 20-to-30 minutes; these stations are ideally placed along highways and the Colorado Energy Office has a separate program called ALT Fuels Colorado to install the fast chargers along Colorado’s highways.
Charge Ahead Colorado was launched in 2013 to provide grants for EVs and community-based EV charging stations to improve air quality and accelerate the deployment of EVs across the state. The program has a successful track record of providing grants for community-based Level II and fast-charging stations in Colorado. As of May 2018, the program has presented awards to more than 600 stations across Colorado and 81 EVs in the seven-county Denver metro area. The Colorado Energy Office and Regional Air Quality Council recently increased the incentive levels for EV chargers and are working to expand EV charging infrastructure beyond what is currently available.
Progress in Colorado
The State of Colorado is quickly emerging as a leader in the EV market. According to the ZEV Sales Dashboard, as of August 2017, there were 11,238 EVs in Colorado. Over the first eight months of 2017, EV sales were up 73 percent over the same period in 2016. Battery Electric Vehicles (BEV) comprised 70 percent of total EV sales with plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEV) making up the remainder. Colorado currently ranks eighth in the nation for highest market share and seventh for number of EVs per capita.
In 2015, the Colorado Energy Office’s Colorado EV Market Implementation Study indicated that while individual EV owners realized savings from reduced fuel and maintenance costs, early rates of adoption also provided environmental and economic benefits to the state as a whole.
In 2016, The Washington Post named Colorado the best place in the country to buy a new electric vehicle.
A 2017 study prepared by Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) for the City and County of Denver found that driving a BEV in the Denver metro area reduced greenhouse gas emissions by 43 percent when compared to a gasoline vehicle.
With increased adoption, the State of Colorado stands to reap significant air quality benefits. Under the Colorado EV Market Implementation Study’s high growth rate projection, by 2030 Colorado could have close to one million EVs on the road. This means that Colorado could experience an annual reduction of ozone-forming pollutants estimated at 800 tons of nitrogen oxide, 800 tons of volatile organic compound, and up to three million tons of greenhouse gases. The air quality benefits from transportation electrification will only increase as utilities add more carbon-free electricity generation. In 2025, BEV charging in Denver will reduce nitrogen oxide emissions by 84 percent, volatile organic emissions by 99 percent, and greenhouse gas emissions by 49 percent compared to a new gasoline vehicle.
Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan — Accelerating EV Adoption
The Colorado EV Plan was developed in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office (CEO), Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC), Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), and Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT). Given the dynamic nature of the EV market, the Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan works as a living document. Each year, it is revisited and updated as needed to ensure Colorado remains responsive to a changing market. The goals listed below provide a clearer picture of the future:
GOAL #1: Increase adoption of EVs in the light-duty sector by taking steps to achieve the high- growth scenario of approximately 940,000 EVs in Colorado by 2030, as projected in the Colorado EV Market Implementation Study.
GOAL #2: Increase the number of electric transit vehicles in Colorado to 500 by 2030.
GOAL #3: Increase the number of public and private employers in Colorado that provide workplace charging to employees.
GOAL #4: Develop strategies and partnerships that prepare property owners for future investments in EV charging infrastructure and electrify challenging facility types.
GOAL #5: Accelerate the purchase of EVs for agency fleets and investment in EV charging infrastructure.
Colorado currently has 53 EV fast-charging stations (138 EV fast-charging ports). It is estimated that to support the medium-growth scenario projected in the EV Market Implementation Study, a total of 204 stations (817 EV fast-charging ports) will be required, with many installed along Colorado’s transportation corridors. Under the high-growth scenario, as many as 632 stations (2,530 ports) will be needed.
For more information about charging stations, electric vehicles and the Colorado Energy Office grant application process, visit Colorado Energy Office.
