More safety codes required Holy Cross Energy, the region’s not-for-profit energy cooperative, is pursuing a 100% renewable electricity goal by 2030, with total greenhouse gas emissions offset to net-zero by 2035. With solar arrays throughout the region and stationed on co-op members’ property, the Holy Cross has prioritized storage of its renewable energy through programs like Power+, which helps members spread out the cost of a battery storage unit, like a Tesla Powerwall. Morgan is a member at her Old Snowmass home. “We’re just essentially using lithium ion batteries to store wind and solar energy when it’s abundant, and then release it onto the grid when it is not abundant,” said Kimbrell Larouche, energy resources specialist with Holy Cross. Of the co-op’s 60,000 member base, only about 200 households participate in the Power+ program, though Johnson said EV ownership is on the rise in Colorado and the region. The towns of Snowmass Village and Basalt, the city of Aspen and Pitkin County also all have emissions or sustainability goals of their own, implemented through code updates and incentivization programs. Basalt Planning Director Michelle Thibeault said the town works with Roaring Fork Fire on its preferences in regard to electric infrastructure, though the town code does not mandate EV chargers and they are “generally easy to locate on-site, not in a garage.” “A topic of regular conversation with the fire department is the opportunity for electric vehicles, bikes or anything with batteries to catch fire,” Thibeault said. “There is some discussion about the fire department’s preference not to place EV chargers in multifamily building garages.” Gayle Morgan utilized the Holy Cross Energy Power+ program to install a Tesla Powerwall in her garage, which stores excess grid energy to be called upon during off-peak hours. Some of that power comes from the solar array on the roof over her garage. Josie Taris/Aspen Daily News Mele said that working with developers and building departments on electric infrastructure has been a good process, with some developers willing to go further than code requirements. They also work with fire alarm and fire suppression companies to build up a better defense. With certain projects, like solar or battery storage installation on a pre-existing home, the fire district can inspect the infrastructure on a call to the property. Smaller batteries for consumer products, however, are unpredictable. Still, Mele thinks the trends are outpacing the code as more people drop their e-bikes in exits or block doorways. If you have to charge a device indoors, leave it where it can be removed easily without blocking egress for occupants, Thompson recommended. “I do believe that these EV and micro-mobility devices are something that’s progressing so fast that it’s creating a hazard to our citizens that they need to be aware of, even just charging your bicycle in your front hallway or your bedroom,” he said. “A lot of these people are bringing their bikes into their homes.” The state legislature passed a bill in 2013, SB13-126, which prohibits homeowners associations from blocking owners from installing an EV charger system, which Mele points to as proof of electric infrastructure being cemented into Colorado. Despite risks, Johnson said the environmental footprint of EVs and other lithium-ion battery-powered products is better than the alternatives. “There’s no free lunch when it comes to energy,” he said. “Thinking about the total lifecycle of these materials and their environmental footprint, as well as the ability to recycle them in the future, means that it’s definitely the pathway to proceed from an emissions and environmental lens.” Mele hopes to see legislation, at a local or state level, follow that mandate with stricter regulations on location in both public and private spaces — for example, not multiple levels deep into a parking structure. “I think as time goes by, for a lot of these things that are worrying us now, the codes will catch up or the community will demand it for themselves,” Mele said. “They don’t want their neighbor in the apartment next door to bring an EV bike in their apartment and cause a fire, when they live next door and keep theirs appropriately.”