Electrifying progress: Denver Water amping up its clean vehicle fleet

Water and electricity don’t typically mix — but they do at Denver Water.

The utility’s push for sustainable practices is crackling with progress as it continues to expand its electrically charged vehicle fleet as part of its goal to hit net-zero carbon emissions by 2030.

Denver Water added more electric pickups and SUVs in 2025 and also became the first in Colorado to own an electric Class 6 Freightliner truck, used for hauling equipment around the region. Class 6 is considered a “medium-duty” truck, weighing between 19,501 and 26,000 pounds.

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The water provider for 1.5 million people also added a Beam EV Arc — a portable electric vehicle charger that runs on solar power and is capable of powering up two vehicles at once. And, it added a high-speed charger at its central location. 

“There’s a lot of exciting stuff happening with the electrification of our fleet,” said Esteban Romero, who manages Denver Water’s fleet of 760 vehicles, heavy machinery and trailers. “We are focused on helping Denver Water cut carbon emissions as we build a more sustainable operation.”

Since late 2023, Denver Water’s fleet of EVs has grown to 40 vehicles, with 26 of those added in 2025. Romero said the utility’s staff is readily adapting to the vehicles and enthusiastic about incorporating them into their day-to-day work.

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The vehicles are already having an impact, cutting carbon emissions and reducing fuel purchases and maintenance costs.

Preliminary calculations suggest that Denver Water’s first 16 EVs reduced the utility’s fleet emissions by 270 metric tons over a 12-month period. That’s equal to the amount of carbon dioxide emitted by roughly 60 traditional, gasoline-burning vehicles in a year. 

Replacing 20 SUVs with electric versions is also expected to save $180,000 to $237,000 in what’s called “total cost of ownership,” which includes vehicle cost and maintenance over the lifetime of the car. That’s above and beyond the dollars saved in gasoline costs. 

Learn about Denver Water’s net-zero carbon emissions goal for 2030.

“Shifting our fleet to be electric-powered is certainly good for addressing our climate goals, but it also saves money for Denver Water ratepayers,” said Katie Fletcher, a sustainability program analyst at the utility. “We are making forward-looking decisions that are environmentally and economically responsible.”

Denver Water is also dispatching the electric vehicles into more challenging settings, both in the field and in heavy-use scenarios to ensure range, terrain and charging issues are compatible with the utility’s work. 

So far, the vehicles are proving up to the task, both at more remote field sites and within Denver Water’s service area.

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“Range anxiety is real at the beginning, but it fades quickly. We were actually surprised by how capable the EVs are,” said Danny Ruiz, a water distribution supervisor at Denver Water. 

“Like anything new, it just takes a little time for people to get used to it. We were impressed enough that we’re getting ready to add an EV truck to our 24-hour fleet. Those trucks need to be available at all times and run nonstop, so failure really isn’t an option.”

Denver Water's confidence in the performance of electric vehicles in its day-to-day operations led the utility to add a Class 6 Freightliner to the fleet this year. 

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The bigger vehicle will be used to haul supplies and for construction projects. Its quiet operation will be especially useful for work that goes on overnight, including a major pipe replacement project set to start on Sheridan Boulevard in early 2026, Romero said.

Denver Water has also been increasing its ability to charge its EVs. The utility has added charging locations across the region and also installed its first so-called “Level 3” fast charger.  

By the end of 2025, Denver Water expects to have EV charging at nine locations where it operates, ranging from Dillon Reservoir in Summit County to pump stations around the metro area. The “Level 3” fast charger was installed at the utility’s Operations Complex near downtown. The device can take an F-250 Lightning pickup truck’s battery from empty to a full charge in just 20 minutes.

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The utility is also making use of the Beam EV Arc battery, which generates power directly from the sun. Currently used at Denver Water’s Operations Complex, plans are afoot to take advantage of its portability and move it to various areas, such as construction sites and mountain reservoirs, as needed.

Denver Water’s effort to electrify its vehicle fleet earned national recognition from the NAFA Fleet Management Association, being named the “Rookie of the Year Fleet” for 2025. 

The award “reflects the rapid progress Denver Water has made in modernizing its fleet, expanding electrification efforts and aligning transportation operations with the organization’s broader sustainability mission,” according to NAFA, formerly known as the National Association of Fleet Administrators.

Denver Water, along with many other public fleets along the Front Range, is moving forward with electrification even as EVs face headwinds at the federal level, where the current administration has reduced efforts to increase production and purchase of electric vehicles through tax incentives and grants.

“Politics aside, we’re more about ‘let’s reduce carbon,’” Romero said. 

“We’re just trying to reduce our carbon footprint, and this is a key way to do that. Increasing the percentage of our fleet that runs on electricity and doing it thoughtfully, learning as we go and not trying to do it all at once, that will save us money over time and help Denver Water meet its 2030 net-zero carbon goal, so that’s where we’re focused.”