Federal and state investments are rapidly closing some of the state's last remaining charging gaps

DENVER — Colorado is approaching a major milestone in the expansion of its electric vehicle fast-charging network, with new stations opening and dozens more under development as state and federal investments increasingly target some of the last remaining gaps in a network that now reaches across Colorado's mountains, rural communities and major travel corridors.

"Colorado is the national leader in electric vehicles. 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. EVs are fun, quiet, clean, easier to maintain, and thanks to our expansive charging network, convenient to charge all across Colorado," said Governor Polis.

Colorado has approximately 486 public EV fast-charging locations across the state, creating a convenient network for Coloradans and visitors to easily charge EVs across the state. The funding used to establish this network comes from multiple sources, including the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program (NEVI), the State of Colorado's Community Access Enterprise (CAE), the State EV Fund and private sector investment.

Seventeen fast-charging locations supported by the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program are now open across Colorado, with another 33 awarded locations under development. At the same time, the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Energy Office are evaluating a new round of applications for DC Fast-Charging Plaza Grants, which are specifically designed to help close persistent gaps in the statewide network.

This animated map shows the year-by-year growth of state and federally funded DC fast chargers in Colorado since 2010, with station locations marked in green and 30-mile buffers from major highways marked as gray zones around the charger locations.

The progress is particularly significant in a large, mountainous state where long distances, difficult terrain and lower traffic volumes in some rural areas can make charging infrastructure more challenging 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," said CDOT Executive Director Shoshana Lew. "That'd be a huge accomplishment anywhere, but especially in a state like Colorado, where our geography includes mountain passes, remote rural highways and communities separated by considerable distances."

Today, 83% of Colorado's state highway network is within 30 miles of a DC fast-charging station, more than double the 40% coverage recorded in August 2020.

"Widespread EV adoption in Colorado would not be possible without convenient access to charging all across the state, from the Eastern Plains to the Western Slope and everything in between," said Colorado Energy Office Executive Director Will Toor. "The Energy Office has helped fund EV charging for more than a decade, and the combination of state and federal funds through our Direct Current Fast-Charging Plazas grant program has rapidly accelerated the buildout of the robust fast-charging network we have today. Our ongoing targeted approach to fill gaps in EV charging ensures that all Coloradans, no matter where they live or where they are going, can get there in an EV."

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Filling the difficult gaps

Several recently opened NEVI-supported stations illustrate how Colorado's investments are extending reliable fast charging into areas where geography and distance have historically presented challenges.

In Kit Carson, a station that opened in February 2025 filled a fast-charging gap of more than 100 miles between Limon and the Kansas border. A new station in Cortez filled a gap of more than 80 miles between Durango and the Four Corners. In June, a station in Wray closed a gap of more than 60 miles between Akron and the Nebraska border, while another new station in Eads expanded fast-charging availability across the Eastern Plains.

Other NEVI-supported stations are now operating in Frisco, Longmont, Monument, Seibert, Grand Junction, Limon, Montrose, Maybell, Sterling, Durango, Lyons, Pagosa Springs and Walsenburg.

The geographic range of those stations reflects Colorado's strategy of developing a network that supports both heavily traveled interstate corridors and trips to rural and mountain communities.

Last but not least, Colorado has now electrified 20 of its 26 Scenic Byways, meaning that motorists traveling in EVs along the most beautiful and historic drives in the state have easy access to fast-charging. This investment in rural charging makes EV travel possible for both visitors and residents alike, while driving economic activity to local Main Streets and small businesses.

State and federal investments working together

Colorado's progress reflects several years of coordinated state and federal investment.

The federal NEVI Program was established through the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act to create a standardized, reliable national network of public EV fast chargers. Colorado has been allocated approximately $56.5 million over five years through the program.

CDOT and the Colorado Energy Office jointly administer Colorado's NEVI funding through the state's existing DCFC Plazas Grant Program, which also invests state Community Access Enterprise funding in fast-charging infrastructure.

Rather than developing a separate charging program, Colorado incorporated NEVI funding into an existing competitive grant process beginning in 2023. State agencies have analyzed charging infrastructure and remaining gaps along Colorado's 16 federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors, then solicited proposals from private companies and local governments to build and operate stations in priority locations.

To date, 50 NEVI-funded projects have either opened or been awarded 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. "As those gaps disappear, EV drivers gain greater confidence that they can travel throughout Colorado — not just along the Front Range and major interstates."

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Targeting the remaining gaps

Colorado is now taking an increasingly targeted approach to the locations that remain.

CDOT and the Colorado Energy Office are evaluating applications from Round 9 of the DCFC Plazas Grant Program, with awards expected to be announced in September.

For the latest funding round, the state introduced a "Gap Incentive" aimed at attracting projects to high-priority communities and persistent charging gaps that may otherwise be difficult to serve.

The response suggests continued strong interest in expanding Colorado's charging network. Round 9 attracted 22 applications proposing projects at 73 locations, the second-largest response in the history of the program.

Even more significantly, seven of the 10 Priority Communities identified in the latest request for applications received at least one proposal, creating the potential to close additional remaining gaps in the statewide system.

That evolution — from establishing basic corridor coverage to strategically addressing increasingly isolated gaps — is an indication of how far Colorado's charging network has developed.

Moving toward a fully built-out network

Colorado is also making substantial progress toward achieving "Fully Built Out" status under updated Federal Highway Administration criteria for the NEVI Program.

Achieving that designation would represent another important transition for the state's charging strategy. Once Colorado's fully built-out status is confirmed by the FHWA, remaining NEVI funding could be used for both corridor and community-focused charging projects, providing greater flexibility to address charging needs throughout the state.

The goal is a network in which drivers increasingly encounter charging as a routine part of traveling Colorado rather than infrastructure concentrated primarily in the state's largest population centers.

"Every one of these projects makes the map a little more complete," Lew said. "Five or six years ago, the challenge was establishing fast charging across broad portions of Colorado. 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."

About Colorado's NEVI Program

The National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Program provides federal funding to states to establish a nationwide interconnected network of publicly accessible EV fast-charging stations. Colorado's NEVI program is jointly administered by the Colorado Department of Transportation and Colorado Energy Office through the DCFC Plazas Grant Program.

Colorado has 16 federally designated Alternative Fuel Corridors and is allocated approximately $56.5 million in NEVI funding over five years. As of August 2026, 17 NEVI-funded charging locations are open and 33 additional awarded locations are under development.

More information about Colorado's NEVI Program is available through CDOT's Office of Innovative Mobility.

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