Danny Katz
Executive Director, CoPIRG
Grant announcement by Gov means 33 electric vehicle charging stations coming soon
Media Contacts
Funding comes from Volkswagen emissions cheating settlement
CoPIRG Foundation
Communities across Colorado will be getting 33 fast-charging stations for electric vehicles soon thanks to an announcement today from Governor John Hickenlooper and the Colorado Energy Office. Colorado has officially awarded $10.33 million to ChargePoint to construct 33 stations at critical points across Colorado, building an electric charging backbone from Durango to Burlington. The funding comes from the settlement with Volkswagen after they were caught selling vehicles with emission cheating software that allowed cars to exceed emission limits and pollute Colorado’s air.
“Colorado is strategically using the money we got after Volkswagen’s misleadingly dirty cars emitted pollutants by as much as 40 times over the legal limit,” said Danny Katz, the Director of CoPIRG Foundation. “The 33 electric vehicle charging stations will be built along critical corridors and important junctures, eliminating a common barrier to electric vehicle ownership – not knowing if there will be a place to charge when you travel farther from your home.”
SOURCE: Colorado Energy Office
Colorado will receive a total of $68 million from Volkswagen’s (VW’s) settlement over their emission-cheating vehicles. The state currently plans to invest the money in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations and cleaning up buses and diesel equipment.
The state’s plan to invest $10.33 million in electric vehicle (EV) charging stations is a critical part of eliminating “range anxiety,” which leads Coloradans to forego purchasing electric vehicles because they do not think there will be sufficient charging capacity in the locations where they want to travel that they will be able to drive an EV there and back without running out of power.
“Investing in electric vehicle infrastructure is exactly how the VW emissions cheating money should be used. Electric vehicles put us on a path to a zero emission transportation future,” said Katz.
