Colorado’s Fleet-ZERO grant program strategically addresses greenhouse gas emissions and air pollution from the fleet sector by funding electric vehicle (EV) charging to support the transition of light-, medium-, and heavy-duty fleets to electric vehicles. Fleet emissions have a disproportionate impact on public health and the environment, especially for marginalized and lower-income communities living near major roadways and facilities. The State’s Clean Truck Strategy and Community Access Enterprise identify fleet electrification as an important near term action to improve air quality and protect our environment, while also saving Colorado fleet owners and operators money on fuel and maintenance costs.
Fleet-ZERO supports charging for fleet owners and operators seeking to electrify their vehicles, as well as public and semi-public fleet charging sites and providers offering EV charging-as-a-service to fleets. The program offers competitive grant funding with prioritized investments in disproportionately impacted communities and enhanced incentives for Qualifying Entities (please see Eligibility section below).
The current Fleet-ZERO standard application round will close on Friday, December 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM MT. The Fleet-ZERO rolling application is currently open year-round for Qualifying Entities requesting $50,000 or less in funding. Please see the Eligibility section below for more information.
All Fleet-ZERO applicants are required to read the Application Guide in full prior to submitting an application:
View the Fleet-ZERO Application Guide
All Fleet-ZERO applicants must submit their application online through the grant portal:
For preparatory purposes, applicants may draft responses in advance by downloading the Word formatted version of the standard or rolling application. CEO strongly encourages using these documents to prepare responses prior to submitting an application through the online grant portal:
Download the Word formatted standard application preparation document
Download the Word formatted rolling application preparation document
During every standard application round, for the first two (2) weeks after the round opens, CEO will have a formal Q&A period for the Fleet-ZERO program.
CEO will post public responses to all of the questions received during the Q&A period one (1) week after the Q&A period closes. CEO will not answer questions on an individual basis during the standard application rounds. The Q&A document linked below will be updated with responses from the most recent question submission period on November 3, 2023.
View responses to questions from the Fleet-ZERO October Q&A period
For more information, watch the Fleet-ZERO informational webinar and view the webinar slides.
We will send future program updates to the contact list below:
Sign up to receive updates on the Fleet-ZERO program
Contact information
For more information regarding Fleet-ZERO, please reach out to Matt Lerman, Infrastructure Program Manager, at matt.lerman@state.co.us.
Overview
Type: Competitive grant
For: Light-, medium-, and heavy-duty fleets (private, public, and non-profit); independent owner-operators; charging as-a-service providers; property owners, developers, and managers
Amount: $3 million total estimated for the October application round
Match: Minimum 20% match required up to program maximums; reduced to a minimum 10% match for Qualifying Entities
Program Length: Ongoing
Application Rounds: Standard application reopens October 16 and closes December 1, 2023, 5:00 PM MT. The Rolling application is currenly open and will remain open year-round only for Qualifying Entities requesting $50,000 or less
The Fleet-ZERO program is available for both private depot and public charging to support fleets. It is not available for personal use vehicles or residential charging. Prospective applicants should only submit a grant application if their organization will own and operate the EV charging stations being requested.
Eligible applicants
- Light-, medium-, and heavy-duty fleets (private, public, and non-profit)
- Independent owner-operators
- Charging-as-a-service providers
- Property owners, developers, and managers
NOTE: Charging for electric school buses is not eligible for Fleet-ZERO funding. For school bus charging, please apply for funding through the Colorado Electric School Bus Grant Program. Transit vehicle charging for past recipients of Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) Division of Transit and Rail funding is also not eligible for Fleet-ZERO funding. Funding for transit vehicle charging is available through the Clean Transit Enterprise. School district and transit agency white fleet vehicle charging, however is eligible for funding through Fleet-ZERO.
There are three application types for the Fleet-ZERO grant program:
- Standard: Single fleet, shared fleet, charging as-a-service, public or semi-public fleet
- Rolling: Same eligibility as the Standard application, but available year-round solely for Qualifying Entities submitting up to $50,000 maximum funding requests
- Medium- and Heavy-Duty (M/HD) Charging Corridors (Forthcoming): Fully- or semi-public fleet charging configured for M/HD electric vehicles
Qualifying Entities are eligible for enhanced incentives and may submit rolling applications:
- Disadvantaged Business Enterprises (DBE)
- Minority Business Enterprises (MBE)
- Small Business Enterprises (SBE)
- Veteran-Owned Small Businesses (VOSB)
- Women Business Enterprises (WBE)
- Government Agencies
- Non-profit Organizations
- School Districts (Not available for electric school bus charging)
- Tribal Entities
Eligible project costs
Funds can cover costs directly associated with the purchase and installation of EV charging equipment and infrastructure for fleets, as well as costs associated with the 5 year networking and 5 year warranty requirements for the program.
CEO will only reimburse eligible project costs that are incurred or contracted for after executing a Purchase Order or Contract with the Colorado Energy Office.
The Colorado Energy Office will outline a specific amount of funding available to applicants during each application cycle. The maximum award per applicant, per round for Standard applications is likely $250,000-500,000. The maximum award for Rolling applications is $50,000. Only Qualifying Entities are eligible to submit Rolling applications.
Match: Match requirements are subject to change. Currently, a minimum 20% match (up to the incentive maximums) is required for all non-qualifying entities. A reduced 10% minimum match (up to the incentive maximums) is required for Qualifying Entities.
| Power level | Incentive per charger | Incentive per dual port charger | Vehicle class eligibility | Likely maximum funding** (per applicant, per round) | Enhanced incentives* (per charging port for qualifying entities) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| < 19 kW | $3,000 | $6,000 | - | $250,000 | +$500 |
| 19-49 kW | $5,000 | $10,000 | *** | $250,000 | +$500 |
| 50-99 kW DCFC | $35,000 | $50,000 | Class 4-8*** | $500,000 | +2,000 |
| 100 kW+ DCFC | $50,000 | $70,000 | Class 4-8*** | $500,000 | +$2,000 |
Fleet-ZERO offers funding for eligible costs up to the incentive maximums included in the table above, not to exceed 80% of eligible projects costs (90% for Qualifying Entities*).
Incentives are based on charger power level and number of chargers. Charging port count is determined by the number of electric vehicles capable of being charged simultaneously per charger at the listed power level.
*Enhanced incentives are available for all Qualifying Entities, including increased maximum funding amounts per charging port (in addition to the standard incentive maximums) and a reduced minimum match requirement of 10% (instead of the standard 20%).
**The Evaluation Committee reserves the right to award more or less funding during any Standard application round. The max funding that will be awarded per Rolling application submission is $50,000.
***Based on the power level charging station(s) being requested, applicants must confirm the Vehicle Class Eligibility and the anticipated EVs’ maximum onboard EV charging capability. For 50 kW+ DCFC, funding requests seeking one (1) charger for one (1) EV should only be for Class 4 or above EVs (except in certain non-overnight charging scenarios). However, 50 kW+ DCFC are eligible to be shared amongst multiple lighter Class EVs (please see the Application Guide for more information).
All Fleet-ZERO applicants are required to read the Application Guide in full prior to submitting an application:
View the Fleet-ZERO Application Guide
Applicants must submit Fleet-ZERO grant applications online through the Colorado Energy Office’s grant portal.
- Standard application: next round opens October 16, closes December 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM MT
- Rolling application: currently open year-round for Qualifying Entities
- M/HD charging corridors: anticipated to open in 2024. Sign up for the M/HD Corridors Teaming Partner List.
| Action | Date |
|---|---|
| Application period opens | October 16, 2023 |
| Q&A submission deadline | October 27, 2023, 5:00 PM MT |
| Q&A responses posted | November 3, 2023, 5:00 PM MT |
| Application submission deadline | December 1, 2023, 5:00 PM MT |
| Award notifications | Expected February 2024 |
Additional Incentive Opportunities & Resources
The Colorado Energy Office strongly encourages applicants to take advantage of all available utility, local, state, and federal incentives for electric vehicles and charging infrastructure. CEO will allow awardees to combine additional incentives with Fleet-ZERO funding. Fleet-ZERO incentives may not be combined with other state charging infrastructure grant funding, but can be combined with state electric vehicle funding from the Clean Fleet Vehicle & Technology Grant Program.
M/HD Charging Corridors Request For Information
A Request For Information (RFI) was released by the Colorado Energy Office on October 4, 2023 to inform the design and development of the forthcoming Fleet-ZERO M/HD Charging Corridors application type, which will be dedicated to funding fully- or semi-public fleet charging configured for M/HD electric vehicles. The RFI is published using Colorado Vendor Self Service (VSS) and the RFI documents and information (including any amendments or modifications) will be updated with revisions on the VSS site. To access the RFI, go to www.colorado.gov/VSS and select “Public Access” where you can search for the RFI Number (2024000025). The RFI will close on December 1, 2023 at 5:00 PM MT.