As more electric vehicles hit the streets in Boulder County, Superior has added two additional EV charging stations — but, now you’ll have to pay up to use them.
One charger is near the former Old Chicago at the Superior Plaza, where the Bambei Brewing Company is scheduled to open in November. The other location is at the Superior Community Center, which opened last year.
The locations were chosen for their high volumes of traffic.
“The Superior Plaza is a large commercial plaza with a lot of businesses in it. So, it made sense to do it there,” said Alyssa Vogan, a Superior sustainability analyst. “And the Community Center, of course, you see a lot of visitations there.”
Superior has operated EV chargers at three locations — Community Park, the Town Hall, and Founder’s Park — for over six years.
Drivers have previously been able to charge up for free. Now, there will be a fee of $0.18/kilowatt-hour at all locations. After four hours, a $25 charge will be applied.
Vogan said the fee was implemented to incentivize owners to invest in at-home chargers.
“The best way to charge is at your house and tapping into your own into your electrical infrastructure,” Vogan said. “But, it is important to have other places where you will be going that your car will be parked for a period of time to have chargers as well.”
Some communities use a $1/ hour fee at charging stations. Vogan said the town chose a lower fee because different vehicles charge at different speeds and rates.
The new stations are funded by a grant through the ChargeAhead Colorado program, which supports EV infrastructure to communities.
The new stations are expected to be fully operational by the week of July 18.
Superior is part of Xcel Energy’s Partners in Energy program. The program helps communities with their energy efficiency planning. Superior will assess the need for more EV charging stations during a planning process with Xcel Energy scheduled for August.
Compared to other Boulder County cities, Lafayette operates three EV charging locations together have five chargers total. There are two stations at the Lafayette Public Library, one station at City Hall, and two stations at the Bob L. Burger Recreation Station. Louisville operates three EV charging stations — one each at Coal Creek Golf Course, the Recreation and Senior Center, and the parking garage beneath the Louisville Public Library.
Boulder has also added more stations as well. The city announced the installation of its 19th public EV station located near the 15th and Pearl Parking Garage. The station charges $0.45/kilowatt-hour for the first 30 minutes and an additional $0.25 for each additional minute.
Eleven locations in Boulder offer free charging. Seven charge $1 for the first two hours and $2.50/hour for each additional hour.
