The Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) has announced awards of nearly $2.5 million for electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the region.
OKI will leverage new federal Carbon Reduction Program funds to support the construction of publicly accessible charging locations for widespread use. With the program’s first year of funds in 2023, six OKI partners will receive grants to build charging stations at places such as parking facilities, government offices, and parks.
Congress established the Carbon Reduction Program as part of the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA), also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law.
EV charging station (Consumer Reports)
The program distributes funds to states and Metropolitan Planning Organizations (MPOs), like OKI, based on population. The purpose is to support projects that reduce carbon emissions from transportation-based sources. Each grant supports up to 80% of a project’s cost, with 20% coming from locally sourced matching funds.
“The future of transportation has already been decided by manufacturers and demonstrated by a growing public consensus, with 71% of Americans interested in buying or leasing an EV, according to Consumer Reports,” said David Shuey, director of Information Systems and Analytics. “This growing public demand for EVs makes it crucial to build a charging network that is used by the public.”
OKI designed its unique Carbon Reduction Program with a focus on building out the region’s EV charging network.
“We are actively pursuing a strategy to install more EV charging stations across our airport campus,” said Candace McGraw, chief executive officer, CVG. “We are seeing a growing demand from CVG passengers, employees and ride share companies. Thanks to the leadership of OKI through the Carbon Reduction Program, we will now be able to leverage these funds to prepare for continued EV demand at CVG.”
As the adoption of EVs continues to grow, building out a regional charging network across Cincinnati has become critical. OKI’s Carbon Reduction Program is designed to fill gaps, specifically in places where charging options would not otherwise be built.
Electric Charging stations
The following projects were selected for funding from OKI’s Carbon Reduction Program:
• CVG Airport will receive $750,000 to place four DCFC stations at the rideshare vehicle staging lot on Lincoln Road.
• 3CDC will receive $558,751 to locate Level 2 EV charging stations at five parking facilities in Over-the-Rhine and the Central Business District: Four dual port chargers at Washington Park Garage (OTR), Three dual port chargers at Mercer Garage (OTR), Three dual port chargers at the 1400 Vine Surface Lot (OTR), Five dual port chargers at Fountain Square Garage (CBD) and Five dual port chargers at Fifth and Race Garage (CBD).
• The City of Covington will receive $500,000 for placing a mix of Level 2 and Direct Current Fast Chargers (DCFCs) at four parking facilities: Rivercenter Garage, Mid-town Garage, Pershing lot, and Philadelphia St. lot
• The City of Hamilton will receive $441,152 to place four DCFCs at the City’s Public Works facility and Compress Natural Gas filling station and two DCFCs at its 141 Market Street parking lot.
• Green Township will receive $213,000 to place two DCFC stations at the Government Complex parking lot adjacent to Veteran’s Park.
• Hamilton County Department of Environmental Services (HCDOES) will receive $32,610 to place four Level 2 chargers at HCDOES’s Civic Center Dr location.