Eagle County celebrates new fast-charging stations for electric vehicles at airport

Eagle County on Friday issued the following press release on the installation of new fast-charging stations for electric vehicles at the Eagle County Regional Airport:

The county unveiled three new electric vehicle charging stations at the Eagle County Regional Airport in late July, and four new stations at other county offices that are now available for public use. The stations were built as part of a joint project between the county’s Sustainable Communities Department and Holy Cross Energy, funded in part by a Charge Ahead grant awarded by the Colorado Energy Office. 

The cutting-edge “DC” charging technology of the Airport stations can reduce the charge time on an electric vehicle from several hours to several minutes. A virtual celebration of the new chargers was produced by Eagle County Government Television, followed by a socially distant ribbon cutting by the Board of County Commissioners on July 28.

“These two airport charging stations are a game changer,” said John Gitchell, Environmental Manager for the county. “Because they so significantly reduce the charge time, stations like these are incredibly important to encourage and incentivize the rapid adoption of electric vehicles in our community. Holy Cross Energy is a key partner on this project, and provided engineering support as well as equipment. We thank them for prioritizing this growing network of charging stations.”

“HCE is excited to partner with the communities within our service territory to provide support in pursuing their clean energy goals,” said Bryan Hannegan, President and CEO of Holy Cross Energy. “Not only will EV drivers benefit from more charging options to choose from, but HCE members in Eagle County and beyond will benefit from the decreased carbon emissions in our mountains. We look forward to more opportunities like this.” 

The completion of the project brings the total number of publicly accessible charging stations in Eagle County to 16. Officials are hopeful the increased availability of charging stations will lead to more use of electric vehicles by community members and transit companies. An interactive map of all EV chargers in the area is available at www.plugshare.com.

“Electric transportation is so exciting right now,” said Adam Palmer, Sustainable Communities Director. “Electric vehicles are fast, safe, efficient, and inexpensive to operate. But more importantly, they represent our largest opportunity to reduce greenhouse gases as part of our Climate Action Plan. Electric vehicles and charging infrastructure are critical to moving that strategy forward.”

More information about Eagle County’s Sustainable Communities initiatives is available at https://www.eaglecounty.us/Sustainable/.