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Ohio is well on its way to building the electric charging infrastructure of its dreams. Well, it’s almost on its way. The City of Columbus just installed three new electric vehicle charging stations. The city partnered with GreenSpot Smart Mobility to handle the installation.

Where can I charge My Electric Vehicle?

The first thing on GreenSpot’s agenda was to get the charging equipment. Then they installed the equipment in three locations across the city of Columbus. These locations are found at the following locations:

• 48 W Poplar Avenue
• 295 E Long Street
• 424 W Town Street

Before the pandemic in 2021, the City of Columbus received the first installation of an electric vehicle charger. This was placed at 174 E. Fulton Street. All of the chargers have a DC fast charger and two level II charging capabilities. This should help the city follow through with its plans to become carbon neutral.

The city of Columbus declared that they are moving towards carbon neutrality by 2050. The first stage of that very lofty goal is to reduce emissions by 45% by 2030. Then 100% by 2050. This simple three-charger set up is a step in the right direction, but there is a long way to go before there are 100% reduced emissions.

Who paid for this?

Part of the funding for the project came from the AEP Ohio Electric Vehicle Charging Station Rebate Program. The Ohio EPA Diesel Mitigation Trust Fund covered the rest of the price.

City officials hope that this plan will encourage more residents to feel comfortable purchasing an electric vehicle in the future. There may be more interest in the future if there are more incentives and convenient places to charge.

Will this work?

As of now, less than 1% of vehicles on the road are electric. Local funds like the rebate program and mitigation trust are a step in the right direction. President Biden has launched his $3 trillion infrastructure plan. Of that plan, there is $3 billion set aside to increase EV charging infrastructure. However, Ohio is only privy to $20.7 million of that fund. That is still enough to help expand Ohio’s growing electric charging network.

With the addition of companies like Tesla and Rivian, who plan to expand their own charging networks, it looks like electric vehicles are here to stay. Who knows, with enough electric vehicle charging options, your next vehicle may be an electric vehicle.