Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program

The Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT), in partnership with the Colorado Energy Office (CEO), and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) have jointly submitted an application to the Federal CFI Grant Program.

The Colorado Front Range Electric Infrastructure for Green Heavy-Duty Trucks (CO-FREIGHT) CFI application is intended to accelerate the development of a robust network of publicly accessible, high-powered medium- and heavy-duty (M/HD) electric vehicle (EV) charging hubs. This network would be initially focused along major freight corridors throughout the entire Front Range of Colorado from the Colorado-Wyoming state border to Pueblo, and including the Denver Metro / North Front Range (DM/NFR) Ozone Nonattainment Area. If the State of Colorado is awarded a CFI grant from the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA), these M/HD EV charging hubs will serve as the foundation for a statewide zero-emission freight corridor charging network - ensuring a more equitable transition to a zero-emission transportation system, supporting environmental justice, and improving air quality in the state.

Widespread adoption of zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) is a key strategy in Colorado’s Greenhouse Gas (GHG) Pollution Reduction Roadmap to mitigate emissions from the transportation sector, which is the largest source of GHG pollution in the state. M/HD trucks and buses - primarily powered by diesel internal combustion engines - operate longer, travel farther, and contribute a disproportionate amount of transportation emissions and other harmful air pollutants. This pollution particularly impacts marginalized and lower-income communities living near major roadways and freight facilities. Federal CFI funding, if awarded, will help to facilitate the successful implementation of the Colorado Clean Truck Strategy, support the State’s ambitious objective of 35,000 zero-emission M/HD vehicles on the road by 2030, and make meaningful progress towards Colorado’s goal of net-zero GHG emissions by 2050.

Federal CFI Program Background

• The CFI Program, offered by the FHWA, supplements funds from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program.
• CFI offers competitive grants to provide crucial support for the buildout of the Nation’s electrified and alternative fuel corridors, filling critical gaps and helping to meet current and anticipated demand for public corridor charging and alternative fueling infrastructure.

Colorado Application Overview

The State’s CFI application is seeking to build on Colorado's leadership in ZEV policy, programs, and incentives to establish a pioneering model for M/HD vehicle electrification in the Mountain West. Colorado’s proposal aligns local, regional, and state clean trucking objectives with Phase 1 of the Joint Office of Energy and Transportation’s National Zero-Emission Freight Corridor Strategy, Colorado’s NEVI Plan, its recent adoption of the Advanced Clean Trucks rule, and recommendations from the Colorado M/HD Charging Infrastructure Study.

The State of Colorado's CFI application requested $60 million to:

• Develop at least 6 M/HD EV charging hubs with over 40 MW of total charging capacity
• Deploy more than 100 public, high-powered (350+ kW) charging ports for M/HD ZEVs
• Support equitable access to fast-charging for over 1,000 zero-emission trucks and buses traveling 5 Alternative Fuel Corridors in the Front Range: I-25, I-70, I-76, I-225, I-270
• Advance statewide GHG reduction, environmental justice, and economic development efforts with prioritized investments in disproportionately impacted communities

To streamline integration of Federal CFI dollars, the State intends to enhance the existing Fleet-ZERO grant program by incorporating a new competitive application lane specifically designed to fund corridor charging for M/HD ZEVs. Launched in 2023, the current Fleet-ZERO program has an annual budget of approximately $7 million and supports both private and public M/HD fleet charging infrastructure. Securing additional funding resources is a critical step for Colorado to support the deployment of the large, high-power, publicly accessible corridor charging sites required to enable an equitable and extensive transition to M/HD ZEVs throughout the state.

A Federal CFI award would empower Colorado - in coordination with fleets, utilities, public, private, and community stakeholders - to seed the foundation of an accessible, reliable, equitable, and safe public M/HD electric vehicle charging ecosystem. CO-FREIGHT charging hubs would represent a key node of the future National Zero-Emission Freight Network while supporting near-to-midterm charging needs for local and regional fleets, advancing long-haul electric truck charging, and serving as a helpful blueprint for other states across the country.

Colorado CFI Application - Proposed CO-FREIGHT Project Area

Phase 1 CFI CO-FREIGHT Corridors in Colorado