By JAN LARSON McLAUGHLIN
BG Independent News
Now is the time for Ohio to get plugged into the electric vehicle revolution, regional leaders were told on Friday.
Two officials trying to position Ohio so it doesn’t miss the electric wave spoke to the 2023 General Assembly of the Toledo Metropolitan Area Council of Governments.
“We are at a historic point,” said Jacob Schwemlein, director of Drive Electric Ohio. “This is a change that is happening in Ohio.”
The demand for electric vehicles, the retooling of auto manufacturing lines, and efforts to install charging stations are all accelerating.
“The electrification revolution is happening,” said Preeti Choudhary, executive director of DriveOhio, an initiative of the Ohio Department of Transportation that serves as the state’s hub for mobility technology.
Drive Ohio is working with the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure plan to build charging stations where they will be most helpful to motorists.
“We want to build a backbone of electric vehicle infrastructure across the country that will eliminate the long-range anxiety” of motorists unsure of where they can hook up for their next charge, Choudhary said.
Ohio’s goal is to install charging stations every 50 miles along interstates, each within one mile of the interstate, and each with a variety of charging ports, she explained. The stations must be accessible 24/7, be able to fully charge a vehicle in 20 to 25 minutes, and be “extremely reliable.”
“This experience shouldn’t be intimidating,” Choudhary said.
The federal support of electric vehicle infrastructure includes $5 billion to be divided between all 50 states, and $2.5 billion to be used for local and corridor charging grants.
“We want to position ourselves for the most federal dollars,” Choudhary said.
Ohio’s plan is to start installing the charging stations along interstates by May of 2024, then move on to U.S. and state routes.
“I want to hear where you think chargers should be,” she said to those gathered for the TMACOG meeting.
Schwemlein said his organization – Drive Electric Ohio – can work with communities to accelerate electric vehicle use by helping them make charging stations accessible.
“There is a coming electric vehicle revolution,” he said. “We want easy access for all Americans.”
Drive Electric Ohio is an initiative of Clean Fuels Ohio dedicated to advancing electric vehicles statewide by educating consumers, creating incentives, and seeking beneficial legislation. The organization also connects businesses, developers, and communities to resources needed to install affordable, accessible electric vehicle charging stations.
The Clean Fuels Ohio umbrella organization supports any kind of energy that doesn’t come from traditional gas or “dirty diesel,” Schwemlein said. The movement has focused on the environmental and public health harm caused by traditionally powered vehicles – which make up an estimated 27% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the U.S.
While electric vehicles still require the burning of fuel to create energy, the power plants creating that electricity are far more efficient than individual gas powered cars, Schwemlein said.
Public health studies have estimated that a nationwide electric transportation system by 2050 could save 6,300 lives a year, could fend off 93,000 asthma attacks, and could prevent 416,000 lost workdays annually.
A Bloomberg study in 2021 predicted that 35% of all passenger vehicles will be electric by 2030. Electric vehicle sales increased by 102% in 2021. Their emergence to the mainstream was marked that same year with the first Super Bowl ad featuring an electric car that wasn’t a Tesla, Schwemlein said.
Electric vehicles are cheaper to run and maintain, safer, and more affordable, he said. And the auto industry is responding by investing in electric options. In Ohio, production lines at Honda, GM and Ford plants are being retooled for electric cars. GM has made a commitment to go all electric vehicles by 2035.
“We’re seeing every car company come up with an electric vehicle range,” he said. “This is the direction the markets have clearly determined that we are going.”
