Pueblo awarded $11.5 million for 260 electric vehicle chargers in low to moderate-income areas
PUEBLO, Colo. (KRDO) - The United States Department of Transportation awarded the City of Pueblo $11.5 million to install 260 electric vehicle chargers in low and middle-income areas.
The grant is part of a larger $112 million investment for the entire state of Colorado, which is funding 11 projects in the Centennial State.
As of publication, Pueblo has 57 charging stations, 21 of which are free according to ChargeHub.
KRDO13 Investigates spoke to several electric vehicle (EV) owners who say they are excited about the influx of EV chargers and think it will bring more people off the highway to stop in Pueblo.
"As it is now. There's there's very few places to charge. So that'll be a actually a draw to get people in here," said Patty and Darryl Dunnington.
While some city leaders are ecstatic about the attempt for a greener future, others wonder if this is the best use of the city's time.
The two just bought their first EV, and think the new chargers could bring more people to the Steel City.
"If we get more EV chargers available there'll be more reason to stop in Pueblo."
Pueblo City Council President Mark Aliff and Representative At Large Dennis Flores were elated to learn Pueblo secured the multi-million dollar grant.
Other city councilpersons aren't as on board, telling KRDO13 Investigates they think the city should be addressing other, more pressing problems.
But Representative Flores says it's a step in the right direction for areas that might otherwise be overlooked.
"I think our government, can do more than one thing at a time... What's really important here is that they're not going to overlook most of this money's going to have to be spent in poor areas of the community, areas that are maybe, or neglected sometimes," said Flores.
While Flores is excited about the investment in Pueblo, he's worried this one grant isn't enough-- especially after Pueblo City Council rescinded their pledge to have 100% green energy by 2035.
While the new grant means chargers will be installed in low to moderate-income areas, specifics as to where exactly they'll be located are still up in the air. Officials also say there is not yet a timeline for project completion.
