Electric vehicle rally through Vail meant to put spotlight on public charging stations

Eight electric vehicles will be traveling throughout the Western Slope Friday, including a leg that begins in Vail, in an effort to call attention to the growing network of free public electric vehicle charging stations.

The EV Rally of the Rockies will start with launch events in Vail, Aspen, Snowmass Village and Grand Junction, and cars will stop to recharge in Parachute, Glenwood Springs and Basalt. The vehicles will meet in Carbondale for finish line festivities. The rally will showcase vehicle charging stations in each of the communities and provide information on clean energy.

It’s organized by Garfield Clean Energy and CLEER: Clean Energy Economy for the Region, a non-profit organization that works to increase our energy independence and reduce our contribution to climate change.

The Vail leg of the rally will start with a launch event from 1:30 to 2 p.m. Friday at the Vail Village Children’s Fountain on Gore Creek Drive. Members of the community are invited to stop by to meet the drivers and learn more about two electric cars they’ll be driving from Vail to Carbondale. There will be a short presentation by the rally drivers, the Town of Vail Green Team employee group and Wes Maurer, transportation program manager for the Colorado Energy Office.

To accommodate the growing interest in low/zero emissions vehicles, the Town of Vail has equipped the parking structures with five free charging stations; four in Vail Village and one in Lionshead. The stations accommodate the newest generation of electric, plug-in electric and electric extended-range vehicles.

The goal of the EV Rally of the Rockies is to demonstrate that electric-powered cars can cover long distances on western Colorado’s highways due to the free network of charging stations in place today.

For more information, contact Heather McGregor hmcgregor@cleanenergyeconomy.net or visit www.GarfieldCleanEnergy.org.