LONDON, Ohio — The state of Ohio unveiled the first electric vehicle charger in the country funded through the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program Wednesday afternoon.
As electric vehicles become more common, more charging stations are needed. According to a representative from the U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation, there have been around 1.25 million electric vehicles purchased in the U.S. for 2023.
Ohio received $140 million from the NEVI program to build electric vehicle charging stations along the state’s interstates and highways. Governor Mike DeWine said electric vehicles are part of the future of transportation in the state, so the infrastructure to charge them needs to be there.
“We know that as people make decisions on what they get as their next car, they’re thinking about convenience. They’re thinking about how far they can drive that car,” said DeWine. “So making sure we can get these facilities out as fast we can across the state of Ohio is certainly one of our goals.”
It also comes as the state prepares to start producing batteries and other products related to electric-powered transportation.
Electric vehicles have been a priority of the Biden administration as money for this project was set aside in the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law for the NEVI program. The NEVI program is set up to bring charging to more than just population centers around the country.
“Part of this program is to ensure that there’s charging not just outside of Columbus, Ohio, but in parts of the country where there might not be electric charging," said Andrew Rogers, a representative from the Federal Highway Administration.
Two dozen NEVI-funding charging stations should be completed in Ohio by the end of 2024. There are another 26 being built. The first round of stations are being built no more than a mile off the state’s interstates and no more than 50 miles apart. The second round focuses on the state’s highway system.