Colorado clearly has the pedal to the metal on electric vehicles, as the state’s Public Utilities Commission approved a plan to allow Xcel Energy to provide 20,000 charging stations and pass the cost on to its ratepayers. 

The PUC approved the Xcel’s Transportation Electrification Plan, which calls for more than $100 million in investments over three years.

The Boulder-based think tank Western Resource Advocates contends Xcel is on the right path to pump up electric vehicle use and hold down the state’s greenhouse gas emissions.

THE PODIUM | Making it easier to charge your car

Jenny Gaeng, a transportation advocate with Conservation Colorado, called it a step toward addressing the state’s climate goals.

“Colorado’s leaders should continue moving forward to reduce carbon pollution and leave outdated, dirty energy sources in the past,” she said.

Travis Madsen, the transportation program director at the Southwest Energy Efficiency Project, called the decision “the dawn of a new era for clean, efficient transportation in Colorado.”

“Electric vehicles are cleaner and cheaper than gas-powered vehicles and today’s decision will help transform our transportation system for the better,” Danny Katz, director of the Colorado Public Interest Research Group, said in a statement. “By approving a robust Transportation Electrification Plan, we are accelerating our transition to zero emission vehicles that will save people money when they plug in and bring long-term benefits to all Xcel customers.“

CALDARA | Xcel runs up the tab as PUC looks on

The plan outlines 20,000 new residential, commercial and high-speed charging stations to support up to 450,000 electric vehicles by 2030.

Western Resource Advocates, the Natural Resources Defense Council and the Sierra Club testified in factor of the plan.

“Well-designed utility programs to expand vehicle charging infrastructure will speed EV adoption, reduce harmful emissions, and lower electric bills for all utility customers,” Aaron Kressig, Western Resource Advocates’ transportation electrification manager, said in a statement. “Transportation is Colorado’s largest source of the carbon pollution that causes climate change, and programs to foster increased electric vehicle use will help curb those emissions. The Public Utilities Commission is reviewing Xcel’s plan to ensure approved programs are fair, equitable, cost-efficient, and support optimal use of the electric grid.”

Senate Bill 77 last year permits regulated utilities to make investments in electric vehicle infrastructure and pass a capped amount of costs on to ratepayers. 

Colorado Energy Office aims to put nearly a million electric vehicles on the road

But not everybody thinks it’s a good deal for everybody to pay more for the benefit of the electricity provider and those who wish to drive expensive electric vehicles.

“Xcel isn’t in the energy business,” Jon Caldara, leader of the libertarian-minded Independence Institute think tank in Denver, in an Dec. 13 column in Colorado Politics. “It’s in the capital expansion business. That’s why they are so happy to help pass every goofy mandate for feel-good renewable energy. They get to build the stuff and charge you for it — and their legally guaranteed profit on it — while they’re still charging you to pay off the old stuff.

“When they build wind power, they depreciate it and add to your bill, plus their mark-up. Then since the wind doesn’t blow all the time, they need to build back-up natural gas generators and new power lines, which they depreciate, add their profit to, and pass to you.”

COVER STORY | Looking back, looking ahead on the Polis agenda

There’s plenty of politics afoot.

Gov. Jared Polis has made a greener transportation system central to his plan to fight climate change and totally break the state’s dependence on fossil fuels by 2040.

Polis signed an executive order last year setting a goal of 940,000 EVs on the road by 2030 as part of Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan 2020. He also signed House Bill 1261 into law last year, which calls on the state to cut greenhouse gas emissions 50% by 2030 and 90% by 2050.

Also last year, the Colorado Air Quality Control Commission adopted an alternate Zero Emission Vehicle  Rule, becoming the first inland state and the 11th overall to require a percentage of green vehicles in their inventory. Colorado became the first state, however, to adopt such a mandate with the support of the auto industry.

Besides helping bring down the purchase price of electric vehicles, the switch is expected to deliver further savings to auto owners.

An Environmental Defense Fund analysis last year indicated the net lifetime fuel savings and tax breaks from driving an electric vehicle in Colorado could reach nearly $13,000 in 2025 and increase to about $20,000 in 2030.

Last August, the state Energy Office outlined the transportation future in a report called the Colorado Electric Vehicle Education and Awareness Roadmap.

The plan reviews the electric vehicle market nationwide, as well as measuring consumer awareness and barriers to electric transportation. The report culled information and insights from more than 20 interviews with electric vehicle leaders and a survey of 2,000 Coloradans on their perception to identify the types of information consumers would need before buying an electric vehicle.

Colorado Energy Office aims to put nearly a million electric vehicles on the road

The rise of renewable energy led a discussion on the Colorado Business Roundtable’s podcast this month. Host Debbie Brown, the roundtable’s president, interviewed Dan Haley, president and CEO of the Colorado Oil and Gas Association.

Haley said the long-term outlook looks good, despite talk of renewable energy.

“The world is driven by fossil fuel,” Haley told Brown. “It’s driven by oil and natural gas. They’re the underpinnings of our modern society. And for the long foreseeable future you’re going to need this product to be produced. We feel confident about that.”

You can listen to the discussion by clicking here.