CPW panel OKs moving forward on deal to put EV chargers in parks
An electric-vehicle manufacturer plans to begin installing EV charging stations in Colorado state parks starting as early as this July after the Colorado Parks and Wildlife Commission this week gave CPW staff permission to move forward on a sponsorship agreement.
Rivian, a company that also is looking to launch vehicles, including an electric-powered pickup truck this year, is planning to install at least two charging stations at up to 50 CPW locations, including state parks and outdoor recreation areas, at no cost to CPW or state taxpayers.
CPW currently has four parks with charging stations, and Rivian’s plan is to eventually install chargers at the rest of its 42 parks.
Rivian also will provide operation and maintenance of the chargers for up to five years, and potentially up to 25 years based on options allowing for 10-year renewals of the agreement.
CPW will provide the electricity to the chargers but will have the ability to recover that cost from motorists using the stations if it chooses.
It also could charge a fee for use of the chargers if it wants. Corey Ershow, a Rivian public policy manager, told the CPW commission the pricing is at CPW’s discretion.
“We’re not looking to profit off this in any way,” he said.
He said Rivian considers EV charging access “to be a critical component of driving EV adoption,” with the inability to charge in some locations posing a barrier to broader adoption.
“This partnership really highlights our commitment to expanding the broader EV market rather than any direct benefit to Rivian as a company,” Ershow said.
Rivian plans to install chargers that can be used by any electric vehicle.
They will be Level 2 chargers that Ershow said will be capable of adding about 25 miles of driving range to a vehicle per hour of charging, making them ideal for cars parked at least two hours while people are engaged in activities like hiking and climbing.
The sponsorship arrangement arose from a “Recharge Where You Recharge” campaign by Environment Colorado that seeks to expand access to electric charging stations on state and federal public lands in the state.
Hannah Collazo, Environment Colorado’s state director, began speaking with Ershow and CPW staff about the idea last year.
“Coloradans should not have to choose between having an electric vehicle and visiting the parks they love,” Collazo told the CPW commission. “We need to have charging infrastructure in the same places we escape for relief.”
Heather Dugan, a CPW assistant director, told the commission the installation of the stations would be phased in, likely beginning with “low-hanging fruit” locations on the Front Range before moving to more challenging parks.
She said she thinks about 30 parks are ready for installation to proceed, as there is little or no need for trenching for electrical lines. The other sites will take more effort, and what that involves will be part of the sponsorship agreement, she said.
CPW Commissioner Eden Vardy voiced excitement about the sponsorship arrangement. He said his family has been using electric vehicles for about five years but the top roadblock has been going to wild places, trips for which he said “we end up frequently having to take the gas-guzzling farm truck.”
Dan Gibbs, executive director of the state Department of Natural Resources, told the commission the project is a good tie-in with other efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the state under a roadmap laid out by Gov. Jared Polis.
Gibbs said DNR is looking at every opportunity to buy electric vehicles, but lack of charging stations is a challenge.
Gibbs said the state is going to be a leader in the national movement towards increased use of electric vehicles, and Polis “cannot wait to be at a ribbon-cutting at one of our state parks” for the new charging stations — “hopefully sometime this summer if all goes well.”
Source: gjsentinel
