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 EVs. The program offers statewide competitive grant funding with prioritized investments in disproportionately impacted communities and enhanced incentives for Qualifying Entities (please see Eligibility section below).
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 saving Colorado fleet owners and operators money on fuel and maintenance costs.
All Fleet-ZERO applicants are required to read the Application Guide in full prior to submitting an application:
View the Fleet-ZERO Application Guide
The Colorado Energy Office (CEO) 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 (for-profit, public, and non-profit); independent owner-operators; fleet charging as-a-service; public and semi-public fleet charging
Amount: $3 million total estimated for the Spring 2024 standard 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 April 22 through June 21, 2024 at 5:00 PM MT. Standard application rounds are offered twice per year in Spring and Fall. The rolling application is open year-round only for Qualifying Entities requesting $50,000 or less
The Fleet-ZERO program is available for depot, charging-as-a-service, public, and semi-public charging to support fleets. It is not available for personal use vehicles, community, or residential charging.
Applications must be submitted by a direct representative from the organization that will own / operate the EV charging station(s) being requested.
Eligible applicants
- Light-, medium-, and heavy-duty fleets (for-profit, public, and non-profit)
- Independent owner-operators
- Fleet charging-as-a-service (CaaS) providers
- Public and semi-public fleet charging providers
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 and semi-public fleet charging
- 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) Corridors (Anticipated in late 2024 or early 2025): High-power public or semi-public fleet charging configured for M/HD EVs
The following Qualifying Entities are eligible for enhanced incentives and may also submit rolling application requests for up to $50,000:
- 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 costs incurred or contracted for after executing a Small Dollar Grant Award (SDGA) or Contract with the Colorado Energy Office.
Please see the Application Guide for more detailed information.
The next Fleet-ZERO standard application round will be open April 22 through June 21, 2024, at 5:00 PM MT. The funding round will be open during the same time as the Clean Fleet Vehicle & Technology Grant Program.
| Action | Date |
|---|---|
| Application period opens | April 22, 2024 |
| Q&A submission deadline | May 3, 2024, 5:00 PM MT |
| Q&A responses posted | May 10, 2024, 5:00 PM MT |
| Application submission deadline | June 21, 2024, 5:00 PM MT |
| Award Notifications | Estimated August 2024 |
The rolling application is open year-round only for Qualifying Entities requesting $50,000 or less in funding.
The M/HD corridors application is under development and anticipated in late 2024 or early 2025. If interested, sign up for the M/HD Corridors Teaming Partner List.
See M/HD Corridors Teaming Partner List
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 CEO grant portal:
For preparatory purposes, applicants may draft responses in advance by downloading the application preparation documents. CEO strongly encourages using these documents prior to submitting an application through the online grant portal:
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 below) is required for all non-qualifying entities. A reduced 10% minimum match (up to the incentive maximums below) 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 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 and a reduced minimum match requirement of 10% (instead of the typical 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 detailed information.
Q&A Period
During the first two weeks after every Fleet-ZERO standard application round opens, CEO will have a formal Q&A period for the Fleet-ZERO program. Applicants can submit questions through the Fleet-ZERO Q&A Form when each standard application round opens. The deadline to submit questions for the spring 2024 standard application round is May 3, 2024, at 5:00 PM MT. CEO will post responses no later than May 10.
Submit questions through the Fleet-ZERO Q&A Form
Note: If you are unable to access the Google Form, please instead send any questions to matt.lerman@state.co.us.
CEO will post public responses to all of the questions received during the formal Q&A period one (1) week after the Q&A period closes. CEO will not answer questions on an individual basis during standard application rounds. The Q&A folder linked below includes responses from Fleet-ZERO question submission periods.
Additional incentive opportunities and resources
The Colorado Energy Office strongly encourages applicants to take advantage of all available utility, local, state, and federal incentives for EVs and charging infrastructure. CEO will allow awardees to combine additional incentives with Fleet-ZERO funding, including state electric vehicle and technology funding from the Clean Fleet Vehicle & Technology Grant Program. However, Fleet-ZERO incentives may not be combined with other state charging infrastructure grant funding.
M/HD Charging Infrastructure Study
In 2023, the Colorado Energy Office published a M/HD Charging Infrastructure Study, one of the near term actions detailed in the Colorado Clean Truck Strategy.
The study:
- provided an up-to-date overview of the M/HD electric truck and charging infrastructure market;
- assessed statewide M/HD charging needs to achieve the goal of 35,000 zero-emission M/HD trucks and buses on-the-road in Colorado by 2030; and
- proposed an incentive program design strategy for depot, charging-as-a-service, public, and semi-public truck charging that leverages both state and federal funding.
CEO used the results of this study to inform the design of the Fleet-ZERO grant program, as well as the development of a Colorado M/HD Charging Corridors GIS Map.