Fast-Charging Network Now Covers 83% of State Highways
By North Forty News Staff | NorthFortyNews.com
Colorado is approaching a fully built-out statewide electric vehicle fast-charging network as new stations open and state and federal investments target some of the remaining gaps along rural, mountain and interstate routes.
State officials say Colorado now has approximately 486 public EV fast-charging locations. About 83% of the state’s highway network is within 30 miles of a DC fast-charging station, up from 40% in August 2020.
“Colorado is the national leader in electric vehicles,” Gov. Jared Polis said. “Colorado is making historic investments in a fast and convenient EV charging network, which is one reason why EVs make up a big percentage of new cars sold in Colorado.”
Seventeen charging locations supported through the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program, or NEVI, are now operating in Colorado, while another 33 awarded locations are under development.
Northern Colorado is part of that expansion. NEVI-supported stations are operating in Longmont and Lyons, helping provide additional charging options along the northern Front Range and routes leading toward mountain communities.
Other NEVI-supported stations are operating in Frisco, Monument, Seibert, Grand Junction, Limon, Montrose, Maybell, Sterling, Durango, Pagosa Springs, Walsenburg, Kit Carson, Cortez, Wray and Eads.
The expansion is particularly significant in rural Colorado, where long distances, mountainous terrain and lower traffic volumes can make charging infrastructure more difficult for private companies to develop.
“Colorado has reached the point where we are no longer simply building the foundation of an EV fast-charging network — we are filling in the remaining gaps and making that network increasingly useful for travel throughout the state,” Colorado Department of Transportation Executive Director Shoshana Lew said.
Several projects have eliminated substantial gaps. A Kit Carson station that opened in February 2025 filled a gap of more than 100 miles between Limon and the Kansas border. A Cortez station closed a gap of more than 80 miles between Durango and the Four Corners, while stations in Wray and Eads have expanded access across the Eastern Plains.
Colorado has also electrified 20 of its 26 Scenic Byways, according to state officials. The state says the infrastructure makes EV travel more practical in rural and mountain communities while potentially bringing travelers to local businesses.
Federal and State Funding Drive Expansion
Colorado has been allocated approximately $56.5 million over five years through the federal NEVI program, established under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act.
CDOT and the Colorado Energy Office administer the federal funding through Colorado’s existing DC Fast-Charging Plazas Grant Program, combining federal dollars with funding from the state’s Community Access Enterprise and other sources.
Rather than establishing a separate program for federal funding, Colorado incorporated NEVI money into its existing competitive grant process beginning in 2023. Projects have been prioritized along the state’s 16 federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors.
So far, 50 NEVI-funded projects have either opened or received awards and are under development.
“Public investment has helped make it possible to establish charging in locations that are essential to a truly statewide network but can be more difficult for the private market to serve on its own,” Lew said.
State Targets Remaining Charging Gaps
The next phase is increasingly focused on specific areas where charging remains limited.
CDOT and the Colorado Energy Office are evaluating applications for Round 9 of the DC Fast-Charging Plazas Grant Program, with awards expected in September.
The latest round includes a “Gap Incentive” intended to encourage projects in priority communities and locations that could otherwise be difficult to serve.
State officials received 22 applications proposing projects at 73 locations. Seven of 10 communities identified as priorities received at least one proposal.
Colorado is also working toward “Fully Built Out” status under updated Federal Highway Administration criteria for the NEVI program. If that designation is confirmed, remaining federal NEVI funding could be used more flexibly for both highway-corridor and community charging projects.
“Five or six years ago, the challenge was establishing fast charging across broad portions of Colorado,” Lew said. “Today, we’re increasingly talking about individual gaps — a mountain corridor, a rural community or a stretch of highway that still needs a station. That’s a measure of how much progress Colorado has made.”
Source: Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Energy Office
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