Governor Jared Polis, the Colorado Energy Office (CEO), and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced $17.3 million in grant awards through the Direct-Current Fast-Charging (DCFC) Plazas program. With funding from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program — part of President Biden’s landmark Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act — and the state’s Community Access Enterprise(CAE), these grants will fund 168 new fast charging ports at 29 locations across the state.

Colorado has provided more than $48 million to add 580 new fast-charging ports through the first three rounds of this program, growing the State’s current network of over 1,100 fast-charging ports by 50 percent.

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Governor Polis has led the charge in support of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law, which created the NEVI program to assist in the expansion of EV charging access nationwide. NEVI-supported grant awards 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.

To ensure the air quality benefits of electric transportation reach those who are most affected by transportation-related air pollution, CEO prioritized projects in disproportionately impacted communities. These investments will not only facilitate statewide travel in an electric vehicle, but will also help improve air quality and meet charging needs in communities that currently lack access to fast and reliable EV charging.

Colorado is the national leader for EV adoption, with EVs making up 25.3 percent of new car sales in the third quarter of 2024 and more than 161,000 EVs on Colorado roads. As the pace of EV adoption continues to grow, expanding the state’s fast-charging network is increasingly important to meet consumer demand. As of December, there were direct-current (DC) fast chargers located within 30 miles of nearly 80 percent of the state highway network.

Grant awardees include charging station operators, fuel providers, convenience stores, and local governments. 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 expects the first of the NEVI-funded fast chargers from previous funding rounds to open in early 2025, and anticipates chargers supported by the current funding round to become available starting in late 2025. CEO plans to offer two DCFC Plazas funding rounds per year, with the next opportunity expected to open in Spring 2025.