The State of Colorado Partners with NASEO to Convene Intermountain West Electric Freight Symposium to Advance Regional Collaboration on Freight Electrification

The State of Colorado, in partnership with the National Association of State Energy Officials (NASEO), convened the Intermountain West Electric Freight Symposium in Golden, Colorado on April 9, 2026. The Symposium brought together State Energy Offices, Departments of Transportation, utilities, fleets, shippers, charging companies, manufacturers, and research organizations from across the Intermountain West to strengthen regional coordination on electric freight infrastructure planning, standards, corridor development, and related priorities across the region. Hosted at the National Laboratory of the Rockies (NLR), the full-day event built on momentum from the Regional Electric Vehicle Plan for the West (REV West) Memorandum of Understanding and focused on practical strategies to move electric freight deployment forward.

Throughout the day, participants examined the current state of electric freight movement, including market trends, charging deployment, fleet needs, utility planning, and the policies and investments shaping the sector. Sessions highlighted both the opportunities and the challenges facing freight electrification, with discussions on technology readiness, business models, shared pain points, and the role of states and utilities in reducing barriers and supporting more coordinated planning. The symposium also created space for participants to learn from collaboration models in other regions and to consider how those lessons can inform work in the Intermountain West.

A key theme of the symposium was action-oriented collaboration. During working sessions, attendees explored Colorado's medium- and heavy-duty (MHD) charging hub network siting analysis, reviewed planning tools and data resources available to states and partners, and discussed how demand aggregation and corridor coalition models can help align fleet needs with charging investment. The Colorado Energy Office announced that it will be launching a new MHD corridor charging lane within its Fleet Zero-Emission Resource Opportunity (Fleet-ZERO) grant program this summer. The agenda culminated in facilitated conversations on bottom-up solutions, additional opportunities for partnership, and a closing session focused on takeaways, priority action items, and proposed timelines for continued work. Priority action items included finding creative ways to reduce the cost of electric trucks, offering more point-of-sale truck vouchers, simplifying grant processes, reducing charging energization timelines, and supporting flexible loads and interconnection of charging infrastructure.

"The transportation sector remains a leading source of climate-harming pollution in Colorado, and heavy-duty freight trucks disproportionately contribute to greenhouse gas and other harmful emissions from this sector," said Colorado Energy Office Executive Director Will Toor. "Advancing adoption of clean freight vehicles is essential to reach our climate goals and improve air quality. A robust charging network for these vehicles traveling in Colorado will support the transition to cleaner trucks across the Intermountain West region, while cutting air pollution and ensuring the timely and affordable delivery of food, medications, and other products."

Following the Symposium, participants were shuttled to NLR's Flatirons Campus via electric school bus to tour the in-process commissioning of a new state-of-the-art, megawatt-scale charging research and development testbed. Ultimately, the facility will include 10 MW of charging, a 10 MW microgrid, 1.25 MW electrolyzer, 400 kW of solar, and full-scale fleet cycle, grid integration, and resilience scenario capabilities built to enable future public-private partnership access. The tour underscored the importance of pairing policy and planning conversations with real-world infrastructure and research capabilities as the region moves from strategy to implementation.

Looking ahead, the State of Colorado, NASEO, and their partners will continue building on the dialogue and relationships advanced through the Symposium to support stronger interstate coordination and public-private collaboration on electric freight. Next steps include refining priority actions identified during the event, supporting continued information-sharing among participating states and stakeholders, and advancing practical planning efforts that can accelerate corridor development, improve grid and charging readiness, and position the Intermountain West for long-term success in freight electrification.