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Nederland's EV charger woes escalate; board weighs revenue, equity and fleet policy options
Summary
Town staff reported ongoing reliability problems with the public EV chargers—requiring manual reboots after outages—and said legal help may be needed; the town reported a $3,645 net profit from chargers in the past year while members debated equity and future charging and fleet procurement policy.
Town staff told the Sustainability Advisory Board that the public EV chargers in Nederland have recurring reliability problems tied to power outages and vendor responsiveness. The station reportedly requires a manual reboot after outages and staff have struggled to secure consistent responses from the manufacturer and software vendor; staff said they may involve the town’s legal team if necessary to resolve the issue.
Despite operational problems, staff presented last year’s charging revenue and expense summary showing a net profit of $3,645 for the town (covering electricity for both chargers, including the currently offline Level 3 unit which still draws power). Board members pressed staff for capital cost information and discussed whether the town should charge for other external chargers (for example, at Eldora) to address equity concerns about free charging for visitors.
Separately, members reviewed an EV fleet procurement concept: a brief policy that prioritizes EV replacements "when fiscally possible," paired with a feasibility guide to identify which town vehicles are candidates for replacement. Board members suggested SAB be consulted during procurement so the town can identify early opportunities and financing options such as zero‑interest loans, leases or vendor programs to help bridge acquisition costs.
Next steps: staff to continue vendor escalation on the charger outage issue, provide capital cost details on chargers when available, and develop procurement guidance and feasibility worksheets for BOT consideration.
