Make VW Pay

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. 

Today, Judge Charles Breyer said he was “strongly inclined” to approve a partial settlement between Volkswagen and the U.S. Department of Justice regarding VW’s emissions cheating vehicles and would make a final decision before October 25th. The proposed settlement would provide Colorado with at least $61 million to invest in pollution reduction strategies for Colorado’s transportation system.

An analysis of the proposed settlement by the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project (SWEEP) and the Colorado Public Interest Research Group (CoPIRG) finds that the money could add 60 electric charging stations to Colorado’s highways and upgrade approximately 100 buses across the state from diesel to electric.