Ohio took a big step Wednesday toward relieving “range anxiety” felt by prospective owners of electric vehicles and those already driving them with the opening of a charging station on an interstate west of Columbus.
Gov. Mike DeWine, state and federal officials and industry leaders cut the ribbon on the first electric vehicle fast charging station installed under the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program at the Pilot Travel Center at I-70 and US-42 in London in Madison County.
Joining Gov. Mike DeWine (center) at the ribbon-cutting for the EV charging station Wednesday (l-r): DriveOhio director Preeti Choudhary, EVgo’s Marcy Bauer, U.S. Joint Office of Energy and Transportation deputy administrator Gabe Klein, Tim Langenkamp of Pilot, DeWine, the Federal Highway Administration’s Andrew Rogers and Alex Keros of General Motors.
“For years, our team has trailblazed the expansion of electric vehicle infrastructure, becoming a model for other states implementing the NEVI program. America’s first new charging station puts us one step closer to making travel easier for EV drivers,” Ohio Department of Transportation director Jack Marchbanks said.
The station is equipped with fast chargers installed by EVgo that are capable of providing up to 350 kW when charging a single vehicle. When four vehicles are charging simultaneously, each port will receive enough power to charge an EV battery up to 80% in 20 to 40 minutes.In total, Ohio will receive $140 million in NEVI funds over five years to support the installation of EV charging stations across the state. Chargers on interstates around the state should be operational by the end of 2024 and future rounds will fill in gaps along major U.S. and state routes.
“Any industry that focuses on innovations for the future is a priority for Ohio. Electric vehicles are the future of transportation, and we want drivers in Ohio to have access to this technology today,” DeWine said.
Ohio was the first state in the nation to release a request for charging station proposals last year, which put Ohio ahead of other states for equipment and specialized technicians to install the stations. Ohio was also the first state in the country to announce the future sites of its first round of EV charging stations, and in October, Ohio was the first state in the nation to break ground at the station in Madison County.
