An electric vehicle (EV) fast-charging station is now available for public use at Purgatory Resort thanks to a partnership between the resort and La Plata Electric Association (LPEA). Located on Purgatory Blvd. behind the Kendall building, the new station completes the EV fast-charging corridor running through LPEA’s service territory. Other fast charging stations are already available at Centennial park in Pagosa Springs and at the Durango Transit Center in Durango.
To inaugurate the station, LPEA and Purgatory Resort will host a ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, September 1 at 11:00am.
“We are thrilled to have completed our portion of the statewide EV fast-charging corridor, which will allow EV drivers to traverse Colorado, from corner to corner, without range anxiety,” said LPEA CEO Jessica Matlock. “We are grateful to the Town of Pagosa, the City of Durango, and now Purgatory Resort for partnering with us on this important initiative.”
Funded by the Colorado Energy Office and LPEA, the station is open 24-hours a day and costs 30 cents per kilowatt hour. An “idle fee” of 30 cents per minute is also charged when a vehicle is left plugged in longer than 10 minutes after charging is complete. Unlike standard level 2 EV chargers, which take 3 to 8 hours for a full charge, these level 3 DC fast chargers take less than 30 minutes.
“Purgatory is honored to play a small role in the completion of this statewide initiative and looks forward to welcoming EVs with ski and bike racks to the mountain,” said Purgatory’s marketing director Amanda Anderson. “We’d like to extend a big thank you to our partners at LPEA for making this enhancement happen for our guests, homeowners, and employees.”
In 2018, the Colorado Energy Office released the Colorado Electric Vehicle Plan, which aims to build EV fast-charging infrastructure within Colorado through public-private partnerships. The fast-charging stations will be located in 34 communities along six corridors in Colorado, allowing travelers and locals alike to drive an EV anywhere in the state.
Durango’s first electric fast charging station is now live and available for public use at the Durango Transit Center. The city of Durango and LPEA held a ribbon cutting ceremony at the new charging station on August 12. That new ChargePoint DC Fast Charging Station is in the parking lot, adjacent to two existing level 2 charging stations. The cost to charge a vehicle at the fast charging station is 30 cents per kilowatt hour. An “idle fee” of 30 cents per minute kicks in when a vehicle is left plugged in longer than 10 minutes after charging is complete.
Two vehicles can charge simultaneously at the station, which delivers a full charge in approximately 20 minutes. The level 2 chargers, by comparison, take roughly four hours to deliver a full charge.
In 2019, the Pagosa Springs Town Council approved installation of a Level II ChargePoint EV charging station in Pagosa’s Centennial Park parking lot, which is an optimal location for those utilizing the service to shop, walk and dine in the area. Two outlets will be available for charging, and the station is also ADA accessible.
To finance the charging station in Pagosa, LPEA applied for a Charge Ahead Colorado grant, which provided $9,000 to assist with installation. LPEA will add an estimated $5,700 to complete the project.
Hillary Knox is VP of Communications at La Plata Electric Association, Inc. (LPEA)