I’M A WORRIER, SO WHEN I PULLED THE TESLA MODEL 3 I’D RENTED ONTO THE PEAK TO PEAK SCENIC BYWAY FOR A LITTLE ASPEN-FOCUSED FUN, MY MIND FILLED WITH “WHAT IFS.”
Sure, the car’s integrated navigation system said I had enough juice to reach Estes Park, ogle the views, and get back to Denver without recharging the fully electric vehicle (EV), but the margin was slim, and I didn’t completely trust it. How would the change in elevation and the chilly temperature, which can sap the life out of batteries, affect the mileage? Would I have to skip going down that aspen-lined side road because my eco-whip wouldn’t make it back? How easy would it be to find a charging station if I needed one?
What I was experiencing is called range anxiety, and it’s one of the biggest obstacles to EV adoption. (Apparently, I’m not the only anxiety-riddled American.) As it turns out, I needn’t have been concerned. The car automatically took into account the elevation changes along my planned leaf-peeping route and the ambient temperature, and its range predictions were dead on. In fact, I was surprised by just how easy—how normal—the experience was. This is a good thing because, according to the Environmental Protection Agency, transportation accounts for 27 percent of greenhouse gas emissions in this country. That makes the sector the largest contributor of greenhouse gasses, and light-duty vehicles—aka your Subaru Outback—are responsible for 57 percent of all transportation emissions, whether you’re commuting to work or driving to the grocery store or setting out on an hourslong tour of fall foliage.
Like other states, Colorado has been attempting to make the transition to EVs as painless as possible (through vehicle tax credits and charging infrastructure grants), but one aspect of Colorado’s strategy is unique: It started electrifying its scenic byways. Since 2020, eight of the state’s 26 designated scenic and historic byways have been tagged by the Colorado Scenic and Historic Byways Commission as EV-friendly—which means there’s a Level 3 fast charger at least every 100 miles—and two more were expected to come online last month.
The state has also been providing grants to small businesses, local governments, and cultural institutions along those routes and other rural roads to help them install slower
