Carbondale EV Showroom and Police Fleet Electrification

The smell of hot asphalt and diesel exhaust is so ingrained in the way we experience Carbondale that forgetting it feels like a minor amnesia. But on Friday, June 6, the air at Carbondale Town Hall might just taste different. Clean Energy Economy for the Region, or CLEER, is turning the parking lot into a showroom, inviting neighbors to step out of their gas-guzzlers and into the quiet hum of electric vehicles during the First Friday Local Pride Celebration.

It’s not just a car show. It’s an invitation to feel the difference.

Dova Castañeda Zilly, CLEER’s Clean Mobility Program Manager, knows that the leap to electric can feel daunting to folks who’ve spent decades hearing the roar of an engine. “It’s a great time to test drive an EV, as plenty of used EVs are coming onto the market,” Zilly said. “Events like this give folks a no-pressure way to get behind the wheel and see what driving electric actually feels like.”

That feeling is what’s on display from 4 to 8 p.m. at the Town Hall. You’ll find Mountain Chevrolet, Columbine Ford, Bighorn Toyota, Phil Long Subaru, Nissan, and Tesla lined up, waiting for curious drivers to take the wheel. There’s a warmth to these events — they’re less about sales pitches and more about demystifying the technology that’s slowly, inevitably, reshaping our roads.

But the story here isn’t just about the cars you can drive. It’s about the infrastructure sitting quietly in the lot, funded by the kind of grants that don’t require a local tax hike. Five newly installed dual-port Level 2 chargers are already humming at Town Hall. Two of these dual-port units, offering four vehicle spots, are open to the public, providing a low-cost option for those looking to top off their batteries. The other three were installed specifically for the Carbondale Police Department’s new fleet.

Police Chief Kirk Wilson is watching this shift with a mix of pride and practicality. “The Carbondale Police Department is excited to begin integrating five new Chevrolet Silverado EV patrol vehicles into our fleet,” Wilson said. He pointed to the support from the Colorado Energy Office’s Fleet ZERO and Charge Ahead Colorado programs as the engine behind this modernization. “Thanks to support... we are able to modernize our operations while reducing environmental impact.”

It’s easy to overlook the small details, but if you look closely, you’ll see the practical side of sustainability. The police aren’t just swapping sedans for pickups; they’re swapping idling diesel engines for electric ones. The department is also rolling out a newly purchased electric sewer camera vehicle. For years, that diesel-powered unit sat idling on the street while crews inspected lines, belching smoke into the valley. Now, it runs quiet.

The financials are worth noting, too. Grants totaling $70,000, backed by a 10% local match, are helping advance the town’s fleet electrification goals. This isn’t just about being green; it’s about resilience and keeping costs down for the community that pays for it.

As CLEER’s ReCharge Colorado initiative works toward the state’s goal of putting nearly 1 million EVs on the road by 2030, events like this serve as the ground-level proof of concept. You can drive the future today, and then plug in at the chargers that will likely be there tomorrow.

When you step out of your car at 8 p.m., the lot will be cooling down, the engines silent, the chargers still glowing with a soft, steady light against the twilight.