Colorado Tries to Boost Use of Electric Vehicles

Colorado Governor John Hickenlooper has given his agencies a to-do list to help the state realize the benefits of electrifying the transportation sector.

The Colorado electric vehicle Plan provides goals, actions, and strategies to deploy charging stations for electric vehicles (EVs) and to accelerate the EV market. It’s a roadmap that is designed to enable Coloradans to enjoy the advantages of driving on a cleaner, cheaper fuel.

As noted in the plan, Coloradans stand to reap billions of dollars in potential benefits from widespread adoption of EVs. Under a high “Plug-in Electric Vehicle” (PEV) scenario:

$4.1 billion will accrue to electric utility customers in the form of reduced electric bills
$29.1 billion will accrue directly to Colorado drivers in the form of reduced annual vehicle operating costs, and
$9.7 billion will accrue to society at large, as the value of reduced GHG emissions

The plan, which was developed by the Colorado Energy Office, the Regional Air Quality Council, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment, and the Colorado Department of Transportation, notes:

Despite the growth in Colorado’s electric vehicle market, barriers to adoption remain. Lack of public charging, particularly EV fast‐charging along major transportation corridors, remains a major barrier to greater adoption.

The plan looks to the state’s electric utilities and their regulators to help remove this barrier to the expansion of the EV market. Thankfully, the Colorado Public Utilities Commission has already started the conversation with experts about the best way to use its role overseeing the industry to help the state and utility customers  enjoy the economic and environmental  benefits EVs can provide.

The plan builds upon a memorandum of understanding signed in October, 2017, by the governors of Colorado, Idaho, Montana, Nevada, New Mexico, Utah and Wyoming, outlining the “Intermountain West Electric Corridor” along key interstate freeways in the region. The plan also complements the portfolio of investments Colorado will be making in zero emission vehicles and charging infrastructure pursuant to the Volkswagen Environmental Mitigation Trust (stemming from the diesel scandal).

Category: General Update, Green, News