Charge Ahead Colorado

The Colorado Energy Office (CEO), in partnership with the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) has launched Charge Ahead Colorado; a program designed to expand the electric vehicle (EV) infrastructure in Colorado and help incentivize the EV market statewide.  

More people are interested in purchasing EVs than ever before but as with anything new, there are some questions and concerns about the technology and ease of use. One such issue is “range anxiety”, or the worry that there are not enough charging stations to make EVs the appropriate vehicle choice. The Charge Ahead Colorado program begins to address this concern by increasing the availability of public charging stations from 79 to 116 statewide. Coloradans will be able to find EV charging stations in Durango and Denver, from Pueblo to Colorado Springs and on to Ft. Collins. This program will also increase the number of private charging stations which allows local governments the ability to expand their fleets.

The public EV charging stations being installed under this program will be easily accessible and located in places like court houses and at transit centers. Many of them will offer free charging, or allow free charging when regular parking fees are paid.

This effort comes with the support of the Colorado state legislature who in 2009 established a fund within the CEO to administer these grants, which are paid for this year by federal dollars.  This effort directly contributes to the CEO’s effort to continue the upward trend of innovation in the diversity of transportation fuels in Colorado.

Installation of most of these charging stations will be completed by June 30, 2013.