Officials debut fast charging EV station

VW independent staff/submitted information

COLUMBUS — Electric vehicle (EV) drivers now have a new place to charge up while traveling in central Ohio. Earlier this week, Governor Mike DeWine and Ohio Department of Transportation (ODOT) Director Jack Marchbanks celebrated the opening of the nation’s first EV fast charging station built as part of the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program.

Located at the London Pilot Travel Center along Interstate 70 at U.S. 42, as part of a collaboration with General Motors, the nation’s first NEVI charging station is equipped with fast chargers installed by EVgo and owned by Pilot Travel Centers LLC. Each charging stall is capable of providing up to 350 kW when charging a single vehicle and when multiple vehicles are charging at the same time, each port will receive up to 175 kW. This amount of power is enough to charge most EVs up to 80 percent in 20-40 minutes, depending on the vehicle’s battery.

“Ohio continues to be at the forefront of transportation innovation by deploying new technologies to help people safely get where they need to go,” DeWine said. “As the mix of vehicles on the road changes, EV charging stations are part of improving customer service for drivers and businesses who choose to go electric.”

“This EV charging station is just the latest in a long line of transportation firsts in Ohio,” Marchbanks said. “We are ensuring our state has the infrastructure to handle not only the vehicles of today, but of tomorrow.”

In addition to being reliable and located less than a mile from the interstate, NEVI stations must include access to restrooms and a place to buy food and beverages while you charge.

ODOT and Pilot Travel Centers expect to begin construction on nine more EV charging locations in Ohio over the next several months. By the end of 2024, a total of 25 new fast charging stations are anticipated to be operational in Ohio, which represents a total investment of more than $24 million. This includes $18 million in NEVI funding plus $6 million from the private entities selected to install and operate the charging stations, including Pilot Travel Centers, Francis Energy, Meijer, EVgo Services, and ChargeNet Stations.

In total, Ohio will receive $140 million in NEVI funds over five years to support the installation of EV charging stations across the state. While the first round focused on interstates, future rounds will fill in infrastructure gaps along major U.S. and state routes as well, with U.S. 30 just one of the possibilities. ODOT is currently accepting proposals for the next round of funding through January 25, 2024.