On Thursday, Colorado Gov. Jared Polis and the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) announced the recipients of the state’s Zero-Emission Vehicle Workforce Development and E-Mobility Education and Awareness grants.
The grants, which support communities and organizations in that state that encourage the adoption of electric vehicles and provide training on the zero-emission vehicle technology workforce, will invest more than $1 million across the state.
“As Colorado continues to expand access to electric vehicles, it’s crucial we have a skilled workforce and invest in infrastructure that meets this demand. These investments will allow more Coloradans to receive the training needed for EV-related jobs and expand education on zero-emission transportation,” Polis said. “In order to reach our goal of 100% renewable energy by 2040, we need an improved infrastructure and a skilled workforce to depend on, and I look forward to the impact these grants will have.”
The grant will invest in two categories of programs – E-Mobility education and awareness, which aims to expand awareness of e-mobility technology benefits, and zero-emission workforce development, which provides training to work on zero-emissions vehicles, infrastructure, and related commercial technologies.
The recipients include the Four Corners Office for Resource Efficiency, which received $89,960 for the Ute Mountain Ute Tribe E-Mobility Education and Awareness program that funds electric vehicle rid-and-drive events for the tribe. Other recipients include Drive Clean Colorado, which received $100,000 for its Drive Electric Colorado program; the University of Colorado Z- Boulder, which received $99,607 for its Pre-College Explorations into Electric Vehicles and Wireless Charging program; and Pickens Technical College, which received $98,860 to host three “train the trainer” courses for EV automotive technician instructors.