Colorado Mountain College announced it will add electric vehicle and charger maintenance courses to its automotive technology program across several campuses, thanks to a $450,000 grant from the National Science Foundation.

The college said it will use the funds to develop curriculum materials and purchase additional equipment to create a range of electric vehicle and charger maintenance courses “that will serve both concurrent high school students and adults already working in the automotive industry,” according to a news release.

Roughly 1 million electric vehicles are expected to be on Colorado roads by 2030, over five times the amount today, according to the college, meaning the need for skilled local vehicle maintenance outside of the Front Range will also increase.

The new electric vehicle-centered coursework will be available at the recently renovated Glenwood Springs Automotive Technology Center, with plans to expand to campuses in Rifle, Vail Valley at Edwards and Salida at a later date.

Jim Jones, program director for the college’s skilled crafts and trades department, said pilot versions of the new curricula will launch in summer 2026 and will be tested in existing automotive courses in fall 2026, “with courses and certificates to follow in later years.”

Jones is also forming an electric vehicle program advisory board that includes organizations with a vested interest in electric technology, such as Holy Cross Energy, the Roaring Fork Transit Authority, Aspen One and Eagle County government, as well as electric vehicle charging provider Winn-Marion.