Contact: Noah Barnes
noah@electrification.org, (202) 461-2371
WASHINGTON—Today, Ohio Governor Mike DeWine will attend a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the first electric vehicle (EV) charging station funded by the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.
The Electrification Coalition has been a long-term partner to transportation electrification priority across the state of Ohio, including work as the lead electrification partner through the Smart Columbus program, Bloomberg American Cities Climate Challenge, Climate Mayors EV Purchasing Collaborative, and advisory to the Ohio EV Workforce Sector Partnership Steering Committee. Through these efforts, the EC has focused on working with public and private partners to scale EV and charging deployment alike.
Electrification Coalition Executive Director Ben Prochazka released the following statement:
“The Electrification Coalition is thrilled to see this first-in-the-nation installation of what will ultimately become a network of 500,000 EV fast charging stations across our country.
“Undertaking this massive effort to deploy NEVI resources to states takes a significant amount of time and effort, which is now paying off as we see charging stations being built. States and local communities should award their funding and engage in permitting reform so we can build this infrastructure as quickly as possible. Shifting from internal combustion engine vehicles to EVs will reduce our dependence on oil for transportation and strengthen our national security, but building charging infrastructure is critical to economic development and ensuring that consumers can switch to EVs with confidence.
“Under Governor DeWine’s leadership, Ohio was able to put federal funding to work effectively and launch a public-private partnership that will ultimately result in fast charging stations across the state.
“Ohio’s network will support the historic and growing number of Midwest drivers choosing the improved performance and advanced technology offered by the growing number of EV models from every car manufacturer. In a classic win-win, thanks to generational federal investments, Ohioans will also be building the vehicles this station will charge: Ford, GM and others are investing billions in Ohio EV manufacturing, resulting in thousands of good-paying jobs. Ohio is taking advantage of our nation’s advanced transportation manufacturing moment. Today is a good example of how transportation electrification is a bipartisan issue and benefits states and local communities.”
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About the Electrification Coalition: The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that promotes policies and actions to facilitate the widespread adoption of plug-in electric vehicles (EVs) on a mass scale to overcome the economic, public health and national security challenges that stem from America’s dependence on oil. electrificationcoalition.org