Charge Ahead Colorado

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In an effort to improve air quality and encourage deployment of electric vehicles across the State of Colorado, the Regional Air Quality Council (RAQC) and Colorado Energy Office (CEO) have teamed up to provide financial support for electric vehicles (EV) and charging stations.

Please find a summary of each agency’s funding information in the chart below. See the Application Guide for detailed information.

 

  RAQC CEO
Funding Electric vehicles (EV) and Charging Stations – Level 2 and Level 3 Charging Stations – Level 2 and level 3
Area of Operations Fleets and entities located in the seven county Denver Metro Area (Adams, Arapahoe, Boulder, Broomfield, Denver, Douglas and Jefferson Counties). Entities located in Colorado outside of the seven county Denver Metro Area.
EV Funding Available RAQC will fund 80% of the incremental cost differential between an EV and the comparable gasoline vehicle up to $8,260.  This funding is only available for leased vehicles.  Please inquire in you have questions. CEO is not funding EVs.

Charging Station

Funding Available

RAQC and CEO will fund 80% of the cost of a charging station up to the following set maximums:

  • Level 2, Fleet Only Charging Stations:  $6,000
  • Level 2, Dual Port Station (up to 25kW): $9,000
  • Level 3, Multiple Connection Standard Station (minimum 50kW+): $35,000
  • Level 3, Ultra-fast Multiple Connection Standard Station (minimum 100kW+): $50,000 (limited availability at the discretion of the awarding agency)

Please see the Application Guide for more information on charging station types.
Funding Priority Priority is directed to those organizations that are excluded from existing state tax credits and incentives. For both charging stations and EV funding, eligible applications include local governments, school districts, State agencies, and non-profit agencies. Apartment/condominium complexes and businesses that own multi-vehicle parking facilities for fleet, public or guest / visitor are also eligible for charging station funding. Funding is directed to private non-profit or for-profit corporations, state agencies, federal agencies, public universities, and public transit agencies, in addition to local governments, landlords of multi-family apartment buildings and homeowner associations (as defined more specifically in C.R.S. Article 33.3 of title 38).

 

Application

All applications must be completed and submitted online at the link below. For preparation purposes, a Word formatted application and application guide can also be found below. All applicants must read the Charge Ahead Colorado Application Guide prior to submitting an application. This guide is intended to lead participants through Charge Ahead’s funding process.

The next application round will be May 17th – June 11th, 2021 at 5 PM. 

Online Application

Word Formatted Application (for preparation purposes only)

Application Guide

Residential and Workplace Survey

Charge Ahead Colorado Best Practices

Charging Station Parking Enforcement Guidance

Current Program Vendor List

*Please note that Charge Ahead Colorado does not have preferred vendors. Please refer to the application guide and the description below for guidance on procurement. Vendors, please reach out if you’d like to be included on the vendor list.

 

Instructions

  • Questions are welcome at any time during the application period. For RAQC funding, please contact Sarah Clark by email. For CEO funding, please contact Matt Mines by email.
  • All applications must be completed and submitted online.
  • The Evaluation Committee will review applications. The Evaluation Committee is not responsible for any lost proposals, however, you will receive a confirmation that your proposal has been submitted.
  • Applicants are encouraged to complete proposals in Word format, save, and then transfer information to the online application. Applicants should print the completed online application and keep a copy on file. A Word formatted version of the application can be found in the Application section above.
  • The Evaluation Committee has the ability to award partial funding to applicants if the applicant is willing to accept the reduced award.

Procurement

Charge Ahead Colorado will not fund retroactive projects. Projects must seek approval for funding through the application process. Upon award, a procurement plan outlining a fair and competitive bid process must be submitted for approval. Once your procurement plan is approved you may move forward and solicit bids from your chosen vendors.  This procurement process will be covered in detail during an awardee training meeting if your project is granted funding.

Resources

Please see the Charge Ahead Colorado Resources Page for Examples of Successful Applications, Cooperative Purchasing Opportunities, Purchase Order Terms and Conditions, Final Grant Documentation and Reporting Templates, and other EV and Charging Station Resources.  Information on Colorado Wired Workplaces recognition can be found here.

Background

The RAQC and CEO created this funding opportunity with the intent of reducing harmful air pollutants and encouraging the diversification of the State of Colorado’s transportation fuels mix. Please find a complete list of the grant’s long term goals in the application.

The RAQC was awarded federal funding from the Congestion Mitigation/Air Quality (CMAQ) program to fund this opportunity. The funding is designated specifically for the Denver Regional Council of Governments (DRCOG) planning area of Adams, Arapahoe, Broomfield, Boulder, Denver, Douglas, and Jefferson Counties to improve air quality in the region.

CEO’s electric vehicle charging program was established by the Colorado legislature in 2009 and reaffirmed in HB-1315. The fund allows CEO to provide grants to install electric charging stations to fund local governments, state agencies, public universities, public transit agencies, private nonprofit or for-profit corporations, landlords of multi-family apartment buildings, and home owner associations (as defined more specifically in C.R.S Article 33.3 of Title 38) that have prioritized energy efficiency measures.

Contact Information

For RAQC funding, please contact: For CEO funding, please contact:

Sarah Clark

E: Email Sarah

Matt Mines

P: 303.866.2188

E: Email Matt