Southern Colorado utility company offering incentives to invest in electric vehicles

PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) -- Black Hills Energy has partnered with Drive Clean Colorado and the Colorado Department of Transportation to launch a new incentive and provide resources to Coloradans looking to purchase an electric vehicle.

Black Hills Energy, a local utility company in Southern Colorado, recently launched the 'Ready EV' plan with the goal to advance electric vehicle infrastructure. Its mission is to give its customers the opportunity to make owning an electric vehicle more convenient and affordable.

This is in alignment with clean energy policies set forth by the State of Colorado.

Some may think of a Tesla or a Prius when they think of an electric car. But the types of vehicles and price range are broad. Officials with Black Hills Energy say there are over 150 different models, ranging from a $40,000 Ford Mustang to a used Nissan Leaf for $8,000.

"Not only is it environmentally friendly, it's economically less expensive to own and maintain an electric vehicle versus a gasoline powered vehicle," Black Hills Energy EV Program Manager Erik Lundeen said.

The Utility company is offering perks to those who have already purchased an electric vehicle or are hesitant about purchasing one.

"EV's are part of the future, and as a utility we feel we are best posed to help our customers in that transition."

They are offering a rebate to cover the cost of an EV charger up to $1300 for residential customers and up to $35,000 for commercial customers. As well as up front rebates up to $5,500 for an electric or hybrid plug in vehicle for income qualified customers.

Level two chargers can be seen around cities, in parking lots, and in residential areas. These chargers take about 6-8 hours to fully charge a vehicle and are best used for overnight charges. Black Hills Energy says they offer a rebate of $500 for this type of charger, which costs around $700. The company pays customers back this amount directly.

In addition, they’re offering a new time of day pricing option to support EV charging that could save money on electric bills during their off-peak times. Off-peak hours run from 7p.m. to 3p.m. Monday through Friday and all day on weekends.

The companies hope the incentives will push Coloradans to invest in electric vehicles.

Pueblo Mayor Gradisar says the number of electric vehicles in southern Colorado has more than doubled since 2016. He also says Pueblo recently started electrifying the Pueblo Police Department fleet and Pueblo is looking to expand the city department fleet next.

The Colorado Department of Energy is working to have 940,000 electric vehicles on Colorado’s roads by 2030.