Denver accelerating switch to electric cars

Denver is pressing ahead on its promise to help make Paris climate agreement cuts in heattrapping greenhouse gas pollution by accelerating a local takeoff of plug-in vehicles.

City officials on Wednesday said 300 charging stations for electric vehicles will be set up around metro Denver over the next two years. They’re also looking at changes in the city building code to encourage installation of more charging stations near proliferating apartments and condos.

Lawsuit settlement money paid by Volkswagen after the diesel emissions test scandal will help fund Denver’s effort.

Pollution from vehicles burning fossil fuels is the second largest source of Denver’s greenhouse gas emissions after emissions from heating and cooling commercial buildings, city officials said. A faster shift from vehicles running on fossil fuels to battery-powered transport also could help Denver begin to comply, after years of failure, with federal ozone air quality standards.

Colorado residents have registered more than 10,000 plug-in vehicles, up from 1,200 four years ago. Nearly 2 percent of new vehicles sold in the state are plug-ins, city officials said. In recent years, the number of plug-in vehicles has been increasing by more than 40 percent annually. And simultaneous efforts to move away from coal-fired power plants for electricity, which release greenhouse gases, mean the environmental benefit of electric vehicles likely will increase.

“Without electrified transportation, we cannot meet those climate goals,” Denver Environmental Health electric vehicles project chief Tyler Svitak said. “And the market is pushing us this way. People are showing demand. We are hoping to meet that demand.”

Mayor Michael Hancock has committed the city to help meet Paris climate targets even though President Donald Trump is trying to get the nation out of that deal. Hancock championed electric vehicles in his “state of the city” speech last month and on Wednesday issued a statement referring to a city greenhouse gas reduction target of 80 percent by 2050. He called electric vehicles a “valuable investment in both air quality and as a tool for fighting climate change.”

“We’re hoping to move forward, with or without the support of the White House,” Svitak said. “Both collectively, and individually, cities can make a difference.”

Gov. John Hickenlooper for years has promoted electric vehicles as alternatives to those running on gasoline and is working with other Western governors to set up batterycharging stations from the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean.

Neither Hickenlooper nor Hancock ride in a plug-in vehicle.

But car dealers increasingly give options. There are at least 35 types of electric vehicles listed for purchase this summer, up from three in 2012. Tesla’s budget friendly Model 3 vehicles are being distributed with thousands bound for drivers in Colorado who lined up more than a year ago committing to buy them.

State lawmakers have dangled a $5,000 tax credit for buyers of electric vehicles, which took ef-

fect in January. That’s twice as high as tax credits offered in California and a few other states. Combining that state credit with federal tax benefits, a Colorado resident buying a new plug-in car could save up to $12,500.

The emergence of electric plug-in vehicles already has spurred installation of 160 charging kiosks in Denver. Statewide, more than 500 plugs have been installed. The best rapidcharging stations, which can fully revive a dead battery in 30 minutes, cost around $100,000.

Most owners of plug-in vehicles charge them at home. But surveys show some fret about running out of power and that many more people would switch from from fossil fuel cars to electric plugin cars if this “range anxiety” could be addressed.

While some existing charging stations are not heavily used, the idea is to encourage a shift to plug-in cars by making them widely available. Proponents envision charging stations along highways every 30 to 50 miles so that nobody is marooned without power.

Under the legal settlement following the VW scandal, VW created a subsidiary called Electrify America to install charging stations along highways and in 16 metro areas, including Denver.

Denver officials said they cannot control Electrify America, but said they are advocating for charging at apartment buildings, grocery stores, office towers, gas stations, parks, shops, parking meters and along major transit corridors, such as the 470 beltway.