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The Boulder EV Project is a new effort to facilitate the growth of a local electric vehicle market. The team includes representatives of City of Boulder, Rocky Mountain Institute, University of Colorado, and NREL. The Statement of Project Objectives is available for download here.
Xcel Energy offers the following rate plans, none of which are EV-specific:
Shift and Save Plan:
Peak Plus Plan:
Map of future charging station locations:
The University of Colorado recently announced a partnership with Toyota and NREL to study the usage and performance of 18 plug-in Priuses.
Press release:
September 14, 2010
The University of Colorado at Boulder’s Renewable and Sustainable Energy Institute, or RASEI — a joint venture with the U.S. Department of Energy’s National Renewable Energy Laboratory — will partner with Toyota Motor Sales U.S.A. Inc. in a field study of household experiences and the technical impacts of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles, or PHVs, in a “smart grid” environment.
Toyota Motor Sales will supply 18 Prius PHVs for the two-year program. The cars, which are slated to arrive in mid-September, will be circulated in three-month stints among 108 randomly selected Boulder households that volunteered to be part of “smart grid” pilot tests.
“This is a great example of CU working together with industry to address big-picture energy questions,” said Michael Knotek, director of RASEI. “RASEI is here to make a real-world impact. With these partnerships and our ‘smart grid’ research expertise, we’ll be able to get some new insights into the intersection of transportation and the electric grid.”
RASEI and Toyota Motor Sales, with the integral participation of Xcel Energy, will gather data on vehicle performance and electricity usage, as well as how households interact with vehicle feedback through “smart grid” technology. The Boulder location also presents the opportunity for researchers to monitor the performance of Toyota’s first-generation lithium-ion battery at high altitudes and in cold weather.
The 18 vehicles being used in the field study are part of a 150-vehicle demonstration program that Toyota Motor Sales is conducting throughout the United States.
The Prius PHV can be charged in approximately three hours from a standard 110-volt electrical outlet, or in one and a half hours with a 220-volt electrical outlet, and can cruise in electric-only mode for approximately 13 miles. For longer distances, the PHV reverts to its hybrid mode and operates like a regular Prius.
A community blog on the field study will be hosted at cupluginhybrid.org. For more information on the PHVs and Toyota Motor Sales’ demonstration program visit www.toyota.com/esq/.
Contact Alison Peters for more information: alison.peters@colorado.edu
Alternative Fuel Vehicle Odyssey Day
Hosted By: Arapahoe Community College 5900 S. Santa Fe Drive
Littleton, CO 80160
Friday, October 15 10am-2pm
Featured: Vehicles Infrastructure and technologies Programs
and equipment
To Participate, contact: Ernie Oaks- (303) 883-4041 or
ernie.oakes@comcast.net
Alternative Fuels Educational Workshop
Where: Crowne Plaze 1450 Glenarm Place Denver, CO 80202
When: September 9th, 2010
Time: 8:00am -3:15pm
Register: www.altfuelsalliance.org
January, 2010
The City of Denver is beginning to budget level 1 charge points across the city. Many of these will be existing outlets, so the city is developing signage that will make these areas highly visible to the public. As demand increases and these charge points are used with greater frequency, the city will consider upgrading to Level 2 outlets and charging stations.
Updates – 10/16/09
Infrastructure Permitting:
The City and County of Denver has developed a plan to allow quick turnaround for private individuals or businesses to obtain permits to install vehicle charging stations. Denver’s permitting and inspection officials have provided feedback and assurances regarding vehicle-charging technologies: a permit for a level 2 home charging unit should be easily obtainable though a simple, 15-30 minute walkthrough review, and they anticipate being able to provide next-day inspections.
Colorado Plug-In Vehicle Working Group:
A core working group of state, local and regional entities was recently formed to pursue the implementation of advanced plug-in, electric drive vehicles. This group was formed to address and overcome the barriers associated with operating electric vehicles in the region and is committed to working toward the goal of having large numbers of advanced technology, clean plug-in vehicles operating in the region. Current members of this core working group include:
Denver Metro Clean Cities Coalition:
In addition to the core working group described above, the Denver Metro Clean Cities Coalition is continuing to expand its role as the primary forum for regional collaboration on plug-in vehicle implementation. At the October Coalition meeting local plug-in vehicle technology companies gave introductory presentations of their products and services, and a Plug-in Vehicle Open House event is being planned for November to provide local fleet managers a hands-on opportunity to learn the details about currently-available and up-coming technologies.
Denver Long-range Planning:
The City and County of Denver has also formed an internal, cross-agency work team to develop long-range goals and strategies for plug-in vehicle implementation, both for the City fleet as well as for the broader Denver community as a whole.
U.S.-China EcoPartnership:
The City and County of Denver is continuing to explore potential electric-vehicle implementation opportunities in Denver with Chang-an Motors through the US-China EcoPartnership program.
Outreach to the Business Community:
In 2010 Denver will be launching an effort to work more closely with local business districts and merchant associations on implementing sustainable transportation options, with a focus on promoting plug-in vehicle and infrastructure opportunities. Businesses will be encouraged to adopt plug-in technology for their fleet vehicles as well as to provide public charging infrastructure to their customers. Promotions will include information about technology options and available incentives, such as the Colorado tax credits available for purchasing plug-in vehicles and conversions (up to $6,000), and for constructing charging infrastructure.
A total of 12 communities and more than two dozen governmental and private business partners have joined Denver in a proposal to the U.S. Department of Energy called Funding Electric Vehicle Expansion in the Rockies or FEVER.
Project Get Ready Team Denver Summary:
The City of County of Denver has made a commitment to support the implementation of plug-in vehicle technology in Denver and throughout the region. Denver has begun working with an array of other local and state-wide partners to identify opportunities to accelerate the integration of plug-in vehicles as well as developing regional vehicle charging infrastructure. Working with the Denver Metro Clean Cities Coalition, almost 100 locations have already been identified as high-priority sites for vehicle charging infrastructure by the following local-government entities:
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This effort has been enthusiastically supported by Xcel Energy, the Colorado Governor’s Energy Office, EEtrex, Burt Automotive, the Colorado chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers, and the Denver Electric Vehicle Council. In addition to these partners, Denver is beginning the process of identifying and engaging with the full range of local stakeholders to develop a 5-year action plan to catalyze plug-in vehicle expansion in Colorado.
Denver is also participating in a U.S.-China “Eco Partnership” sponsored by U.S. Department of the Treasury. The partnership includes the City and County of Denver, Ford Motor Company, the City of Chongqing, and Chang’an Motors. Focused on the implementation of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles, this partnership has, according to the Treasury, “the potential to significantly advance the global development of electric and plug-in hybrid vehicles.”
President Obama has set a target of 1 million PHEV on the road in America by 2015. Based on the local vehicle market and projected vehicle implementation trajectories required to reach the President’s goal, it is estimated that Denver Metro Area should strive to have approximately 7,000 plug-in vehicles on the road by 2013. Supporting this goal is consistent with Denver’s ongoing commitment to addressing environmental challenges though innovation, leadership, and community action.
For more information on Denver’s Project Get Ready efforts, please contact:
Matthew Marshall
City and County of Denver
720-913-1516
Matthew.marshall@denvergov.org
Denver in the news:
Find charging stations near you!
Gain a better understanding of incentives – federal and local
