The new bill was passed by the Colorado General Assembly at the end of April 2019. By passing the bill and creating the legislation, the House has established a legal structure whereby, if the Senate approves, law enforcement can fine drivers who park non-electric cars (petrol or diesel) in any electric-car charging space. The fine is for $150 and it is applied statewide. This follows a similar structure in Arizona, which imposes a $350 fine for a similar offense.
Colorado has been promoting the use of electric vehicles for some time now and it looks like it will become the tenth state in the U.S. to adopt California’s zero-emissions vehicle mandate. This will require automakers to sell electric cars within the state territory. This was triggered by Colorado’s Governor Jared Polis signing an executive order aimed at adding reducing emissions in the state.
READ MORE: Electric vehicle adoption leads to better air quality
Another signal about the state’s growing attraction to electric vehicles appears with a pilot initiated by the non-profit company Platte River Power Authority, which has indicated it is teaming up with eMotorWerks (a provider of home smart chargers) to sell and install 250 smart chargers for residential customers. The aim of the study is to assess how easy it is to maximize the renewable electricity people can use to charge their electric vehicles.
With the new fine proposed for drivers of cars that run on fossil fuels for parking in bays reserved for electric vehicles drivers, this is reflective of the growth in electric vehicles and how this growth is, to an extent, out of kilter with the availability of electric vehicle charging points. There are more than 1.1 million electric cars on the road in the U.S., but only around 51,000 public chargers.
READ MORE: Ford expands electric vehicle investment
Commenting on the new fines and the attempt to nudge appropriate road behavior, Margaret-Ann Leavitt, vice president of marketing for National Car Charging, a Denver retailer that sells EV chargers told the Colorado Sun: “This is a change in how people fuel. I would never park my car at a gas station and walk away. That’s essentially what they’re doing.”
