An innovative, battery-boosted fast charging station could prescribe much-needed electron therapy for “range anxiety” in Colorado’s small towns, with utilities and the state Energy Office collaborating to open a new rapid charger in Julesburg.

The new rapid charger is open at the Wagon Wheel Conoco, a high visibility watering hole serving Interstate 76, Julesburg, northeastern Colorado and western Nebraska. It’s 30 miles from the next charging station, considered a minimum goal for electrifying the state.

Electrification experts and consumer surveys say drivers want access to fast chargers that can give them 50 to 100 miles of range in 15 to 30 minutes of plugging in, to feel completely comfortable switching to electric-only vehicles.