By Matt Whittaker / NewsBreak Denver
(Across Colorado) The market share for electric vehicles in Colorado accelerated strongly in 2022, even as overall retail sales of cars and light trucks fell, an industry group said.
Sales of battery electric vehicles in the state rose to 8.1 percent of the market last year from 4.8% in 2021, the Colorado Automobile Dealers Association said this month. That takes electric vehicle share up by 6.3 share points from 2018 to 2022.
Meanwhile, new retail light vehicle registrations in Colorado fell more than 13 percent in 2022 versus 2021 as supply chain issues persisted and vehicle production cutbacks were higher than forecast at the beginning of the year.
Registrations increased for only five brands last year, with Tesla being the only domestic brand that saw a rise. The electric vehicle maker’s Colorado registrations jumped 26 percent, followed by Mitsubishi with 10.8 percent, Kia with 9.4 percent, MINI with 6 percent and Genesis with 1.9 percent.
As of Jan. 7, there were more than 52,000 battery electric vehicles on the road in Colorado, according to Atlas Public Policy.
Gov. Jared Polis recently submitted an amended fiscal year 2023-2024 budget request that includes $20 million to $30 million per year for clean transportation. That funding would include extended and expanded electric vehicle rebates.
Meanwhile, the U.S. Department of Transportation has given the green light to a Colorado plan for an electric-vehicle charging network, unlocking $57 million in federal funds for the state.
Colorado will receive the money over five years to beef up charging locations along 13 transportation corridors approved under the department’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program created by a $1.2 trillion federal infrastructure package.
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