Governor Jared Polis joined the Department of Natural Resources, Colorado Parks and Wildlife, and electric vehicle technology maker Rivian to unveil two Rivian Waypoints Level 2 electric vehicle (EV) chargers at Cheyenne Mountain State Park.
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The installation of chargers offers Coloradans and visitors the historic opportunity to enjoy the outdoors while using cleaner transportation options and doubles down on the Polis administration’s commitment to put more than one million electric vehicles on roads by 2030 to protect our air, give consumers more choice and save people money.
Record investments in Colorado’s transition to electric vehicles build on Governor Polis’ leadership on the electric vehicle transition, with a history of robust consumer incentives, large utility investments in EV charging infrastructure, and being the first state in the nation to adopt zero-emission vehicle standards with support from associations representing 99% of auto manufacturers.
Governor Polis signed bipartisan transportation legislation that provides more than $730 million over the next ten years to support transportation electrification and includes the Community Access Enterprise to support charging stations across the state.
Increasing the accessibility of electric vehicles throughout Colorado remains a top priority for Governor Polis and the Colorado Department of Natural Resources. In the last 3 months of 2021, Colorado saw record-breaking EV sales in Colorado, with recent monthly sales close to triple pre-pandemic levels.
In response, Governor Polis has also proposed investing $150 million in this year’s budget to convert to electric school buses, and $12 million for rebates for electric bicycles. As electric vehicles grow in popularity, drivers will continue to need a place to charge, contributing to the urgency for the installation of charging sites to keep pace with the increasing number of EV sales.
This installation is part of a phased plan to install EV charging sites throughout the entire state, starting in the Southeast region. CPW has already installed EV chargers at a handful of Front Range parks, including St. Vrain State Park in Longmont and Staunton State Park in Pine.
Rivian, an electric vehicle manufacturer and automotive technology company has committed to installing at least two open-network Rivian Waypoints chargers at more than 50 CPW state park and office locations.
The Level 2 chargers can add up to 25 miles of driving range for each hour they are plugged in, making them ideal for EV-driving park patrons visiting for the day or camping overnight. This collaborative effort extends the electric charging infrastructure grid to new areas for EV drivers to explore.
The easily accessible EV charging stations at Colorado state parks will allow Coloradans and out-of-state visitors to drive to remote outdoor destinations while also preventing pollution and protecting the public lands they plan to enjoy.
CPW and Rivian are working on an initial round of approximately 20 installations to be completed by late summer 2022, focusing on sites in the Southeastern part of the state including the Southeast Region Office, Lake Pueblo and John Martin, the Denver Metropolitan Area, Barr Lake, Chatfield, and Castlewood Canyon, along with North Sterling on the Northeastern Plains, and site on the Western Slope. ■