Colorado

Why is it like this in Colorado?

Colorado's electricity rate of about 16.3¢/kWh still gives PHEV drivers a per-mile cost advantage over gasoline at the January 2026 baseline — though that advantage is at risk. Xcel Energy filed a 9.9% residential rate increase in late 2025, and Xcel has separately proposed a large-load tariff to shift data center infrastructure costs away from residential ratepayers — without it, analysts have warned that Front Range rates could rise 20–55% by 2029. Colorado raised its state EV purchase rebates to $9,000 in late 2025 to partially offset the expiration of the federal $7,500 credit.

In the news · Colorado

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  Xcel Energy's building boom, search for profits may send Colorado electricity bills soaring

  Colorado Sun · Aug 19, 2025

  Data-center-driven grid expansion could push Xcel's Colorado residential rates 20–55% higher by 2029. For PHEV drivers, the current ~16¢/kWh still favors electricity, but that calculus could shift within a few years.

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  Xcel Energy asks for $356M rate increase that will boost Colorado residential bills by about $10

  Colorado Sun · Nov 24, 2025

  Xcel's 9.9% electric-rate filing would raise the typical residential bill from $100 to $110 if the PUC approves it in Q3 2026 — a direct hit to the per-mile cost of charging on Xcel's Front Range territory.

• Polis Administration Celebrates Increased EV Incentives for New and Used Electric Vehicles

  Colorado Energy Office · Oct 30, 2025

  Colorado raised its Vehicle Exchange rebates to $9,000 new / $6,000 used effective November 2025, after the federal $7,500 credit expired Sept 30 — leaving Colorado as one of the few states with stackable point-of-sale incentives that include PHEVs.

• Colorado joins multi-state lawsuit to protect rules mandating electric vehicle sales

  Colorado Public Radio · Jun 12, 2025

  Colorado joined an 11-state suit after Trump signed CRA resolutions revoking California's waiver — putting the state's Advanced Clean Cars II rule (82% EV sales by 2032) at risk and creating regulatory uncertainty for the dealer-side EV supply that affects PHEV availability.

• Xcel releases new plan to charge data centers for its power — and reduce bill impacts for Coloradans

  Colorado Public Radio · Apr 7, 2026

  Xcel proposed a large-load tariff (50+ MW, 15-year contracts, 80% take-or-pay) after the PUC warned data-center demand could push residential rates 20-30% higher by 2027 and 55% by 2029 — the single biggest structural threat to Colorado's electric-vs-gas math.

Curated coverage of Colorado's EV/PHEV cost, policy, and infrastructure story. External links open in a new tab.

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