Colorado Springs’ public transit system is hoping to cash in on the blueprint for increasing the state’s electric vehicle network that Gov. John Hickenlooper unveiled last week.
The Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan distributes $68.7 million Colorado will be receiving German car maker Volkswagen as part of a settlement for violating emissions laws. Some of the money will go toward replacing public transit buses.
“The selling points for us are the benefits to the environment and low maintenance and fuel costs,” said Craig Blewitt, the director of Mountain Metro Transit. “One of the pillars of the city’s SmartCOS program is to pursue electric vehicles for the city, and this is consistent with that effort.”
The state plan is more than just a pathway for cities and towns to reap the benefits of the Volkswagen settlement. It is a 14-page play-by-play, a “road map” as Hickenlooper described during his announcement Wednesday, of how the state will accelerate the widespread adoption of electric vehicles.
