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From Maybell to Springfield, outposts along Colorado’s more remote highways will soon be getting fast chargers for the traveling EV public

 

U.S. Highway 287 leaves Oklahoma and enters Colorado near Springfield. Should somebody driving an electric vehicle need to get a charged, they soon will be able to do so at a new high-speed charging station there.

And if they miss that one, there will be another one an hour closer to Denver at Eads, then another one at Kit Carson, a blink of a wide spot. Plus there are charging stations at Lamar, between.

These charging stations, among 188 new high-speed chargers, are funded through a Colorado program that state energy leaders see as crucial if Colorado is to meet its 2030 goal of having 940,000 electric vehicles on the road.

“Transportation contributes more greenhouse gas pollution than any other sector in Colorado, making electric vehicle adoption a top priority to mitigate climate-warming emissions,” said Will Toor, executive director of the Colorado Energy Office, which announced the grants recently.

“We recognize that this can only happen if people trust that an EV can get them where they need to go.”

The $17 million in grants tap both state and federal funds. This is the first time that the state grants are using money from the federal Bipartisan Infrastructure Act of 2021.

State and federal government programs prioritize charging stations along the major highways – and, in some cases, not so major. For example, Wray is located along Highway 36 near the Nebraska border. There will be a new high-speed charging station there.

And if you’re driving across northwestern Colorado on Highway 40, there will be new high-speed chargers in Winter Park, Steamboat Springs, and Maybell in addition to existing high-speed charging stations.

Interstate 70 will gain 8 more high-speed charging stations.

Allen Best
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