Electric Vehicle Charging Stations

Electric Vehicle Charging Station

     The first of forty Electric Vehicle Charging Stations to be added this year at Walgreen's pharmacies across Colorado is now at East Colfax Avenue and Race Street in Denver, where EV's can be charged for free — at least for now. "Every extra minute that an EV-driving customer idles in store aisles will pay off," store manager Shawn Horst said.
     A new law, effective in August, slashes state regulation so that anybody can resell electricity. Traditionally, only utilities could do that. Now anybody with property and access to electricity can install an EV charging station. Colorado clean-technology industries sponsored the legislation aimed at enabling EV charging beyond homes. Auto dealers embraced it.
     For around $5,000, you too could own a filling station — selling not gas but electricity! 
     Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper backed the law as a way to spur entrepreneurs to install e-chargers at grocery stores, hotels, malls, cafes and other urban spots. It is part of a broadening "electric vehicle readiness" campaign aimed at cleaning metro Denver's ozone-prone air by shifting to battery-powered transport.
     Today, about 1,200 electric vehicles (and 35,000 hybrids) are registered to roll on Colorado roads out of 5.1 million vehicles.
     So far, about 60 mostly free charging stations have been installed statewide.