Becoming a Zero-Emissions State — How Alternative Fuels Are Transforming Transportation in Colorado

Gone are the days of gas-burning vehicles. We’re officially in an energy renaissance with a firm trajectory toward clean energy consumption in our transportation methods. There’s a strong push for everything run on gasoline to be phased out. We’re now seeing the great transformation that the state of Colorado has been yearning for, and Colorado is well on its way to becoming a zero-emissions state very shortly due to a variety of sustainable transportation initiatives.

For example, Colorado is proud to be following in the footsteps left by California in its honorable venture to reduce fossil fuel consumption as much as possible. But that’s just the beginning.

READ — Tapping the Brakes on the Californication of Colorado transportation

Tax Incentives on Electric Vehicle Sales

Although less drastic than California’s ban on gas-powered vehicles, Colorado is still taking steps to motivate the switch to EVs but offering tax breaks coinciding with an EV purchase or lease. 

The minor drawback of late has been the reduction in those incentives for 2023 through 2025. Taxpayers are slightly unsettled by the 20% decrease in the incentive toward the purchase of an EV, causing some confusion about the motivation behind pushing the state to transition quicker. Nevertheless, the incentive is still there, just at a reduced rate. 

The reception of the incentive might have been so strong that the reduction we’re seeing is a reactive step to anticipate the scale of new EV purchasers in the next few years. Although seemingly counterintuitive, it would make sense from a certain point of view. 

Because of this, it creates all the more reasons for potential EV purchasers to resort to more affordable options, like used electric vehicles.

Along the same lines as those general tax incentives are tax breaks for businesses that successfully manage to migrate their fleets over to electric vehicles. 

The Revolution of eBiking and eScooters

On a different note, bikes are a thriving medium of transportation in Colorado. The state proudly sits as the leader of electric bike funding in the U.S. as of 2022. As a likely outcome of the funding, it’s imminent that rebates will commence applicable for current e-bike owners who proactively adopted them.

By the same token, ride-sharing companies like Lyft have transitioned their fleets to electric bikes as an affordable and clean way of providing transportation for city residents.

We’ve also seen a burst of electric scooter groups permeate cities in Colorado, offering a more diverse mode of clean travel.

READ — Clearing the Air on Colorado’s Emissions

Hydrogen Fuel is Growing in Popularity

The advent of Colorado’s new hydrogen fuel station in 2020 opens the door to an optimized way of producing energy for electric vehicles.

Although mildly controversial, the methods by which we contain and control hydrogen fuel are getting better each year. We’re entering a period where it’s becoming more of an option for vehicles to run off the stuff. Some are even surmising that hydrogen fuel will one day soon be the primary alternative to traditional fuels.

However, there is still a lot of stigma surrounding the safety and volatility of hydrogen leveraged as a fuel, which has caused many to remain cautious of it. It may be a little while before hydrogen fuel becomes mainstream, as there’s still a bit of leeriness surrounding it.  

Continually Growing Greener

Colorado isn’t the biggest leader in green energies yet, but it’s definitely been a rising star throughout the last few years. With how recently that most of these programs have been put in place, there’s still a lot of room for the state to race up to speed with other states leading the revolution to clean energy. 

This is all to say, however, that no matter what clean energy transportation steps Colorado takes in the future, it’ll ultimately benefit its citizens and the planet in the long run.

 

Indiana Lee Bio PictureIndiana Lee is a writer, reader, and jigsaw puzzle enthusiast from the Pacific Northwest. An expert on business operations, leadership, marketing, and lifestyle, you can connect with her on LinkedIn.