Electric Vehicles

Cost Savings and Reduced Maintenance: Cost savings come to EV drivers through fuel and maintenance costs. EVs are less expensive to charge because electricity rates are lower than gasoline prices. Additionally, EV maintenance costs can be up to 50% less than gas-powered cars. Compared to traditional gasoline-powered vehicles, EVs have less maintenance requirements. EVs have fewer moving parts and don’t require oil changes, tune-ups, cooling system flushes, and other common maintenance services needed for traditional vehicles.

Lower Emissions: In Cincinnati, greenhouse gas emissions caused by the transportation sector accounts for 31% of total emissions. EVs do not emit tailpipe emissions, making them a cleaner option to operate compared to gasoline or diesel vehicles- especially if charged with renewable energy. Lower emissions lead to better local air quality.

The average American only drives 37 miles a day- well within the range of EVs available today. To understand your personal driving needs, keep a log of your average daily driven miles over a week or a month. Once you have a better sense of your driving habits and needs, use PlugStar’s interactive Shopping Assistant to help you choose an EV that fits you!

Most EV owners have a charging station installed in their garage and charge their EV overnight like a cellphone. While over 80% of charging occurs at home, charging can also occur at workplaces that offer charging, and at the many public charging stations available. There are three basic types of charging: Level 1, Level 2, and DC fast chargers. Find out more about the different levels of charging on the U.S. Department of Transportation’s website.

Publicly available charging stations can easily be located using Plug Share and AFDC’s Alternative Fueling Station Locator.

Federal Tax Credit: Use the federal government’s federal tax credit tool to learn about the credit amount available for various EV makes and models.

Ohio Laws and Incentives: The U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center has a comprehensive list of laws and incentives in Ohio related to EVs.

AEP Ohio: If you already own an EV, fill out AEP Ohio’s questionnaire and be the first to know about any future EV programs they many offer. Otherwise, check out their website for great information about owning and charging and EV. Commercial businesses can receive support from AEP Ohio for transitioning their fleet to electric.

AES Ohio Rebate Program:

o AES Ohio offers various rebates for Level 2 chargers to its customers (business workplaces and multi-family complexes) who are EV owners. More information can be found on their factsheet.

o Businesses who are considering electrifying their fleet can learn more about the benefits and connect with AES for support.

Hamilton County is committed to integrating EV infrastructure into our community and implementing EV-ready standards for our city. 

We have 17 total EV chargers in five different locations within four different public parking garages: West End Garage (next to the FC Cincinnati stadium): 3; East Garage: 4;  Parkhaus Garage: 4 and Central Riverfront Garage: 6.  

All of the EV charging equipment was installed in 2021 at no cost by Electrada. 

Hamilton County is in the process of having another garage built at Findlay Market and we will have EV charging stations installed there when the garage opens.