Last year, the Colorado Energy Office (COE) awarded CU Anschutz with two grants: the Charge Ahead Colorado Grant and the Fleet-ZERO EV Charging Grant. The $96,000 total awarded will fund projects to increase the number of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations on campus. By increasing the number of chargers, it allows for increased use of EVs in and around campus. The cascading effect of these installations will ultimately result in less air pollution and greenhouse gas emissions.

Charge Ahead Colorado Grant will fund installation of 4 dual-port Level 2 direct current fast charging stations in the Aspen parking lot. The result is 8 chargers for students and employees to use for their electric vehicles.  Similarly, the Fleet-ZERO EV Charging Grant will fund a project at the Campus Services Building parking lot to install 8 dual-port chargers. This will provide 16 chargers for use by campus-owned electric vehicles. Collectively, the projects will aid in the reduction of emissions related to commuting and on-campus maintenance. In promoting the use of electric vehicles, the University is taking an important step toward achieving goals outlined in the Energy Master Plan and Climate Action Plan.

The Facilities Department has plans to meet increasing demand with more EV chargers to be built in the Monte Vista and Frisco parking lots, and the Sustainability Team will be seeking more funding from similar grants this year.