The Miami Valley will now have 24 additional electric vehicle chargers with the help of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission.
Project partners celebrated on Tuesday by doing the first plug-in of an electric vehicle at the newly built charger at the Trotwood branch of the Dayton Metro Library.
The Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission is paying for the design, construction, and operational costs for all chargers for the next five years. It’ll do that using federal Carbon Reduction program funds. The project is worth $1.1 million.
The 24 chargers were placed on public lands in places like Centerville, Bellbrook, Brookfield and more.
Eighteen chargers are currently operational; the rest will come online within the next six months. The chargers can be found on EV charging network apps like Blink or ChargePoint.
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Executive Director of the Miami Valley Regional Planning Commission Brian Martin said that sustainability, carbon reduction and air quality improvements are long-term goals for the commission. And part of that is ensuring electric vehicles are accessible.
“We have good air quality currently in the Miami Valley region, we want to maintain that. There's just so many tailpipe emissions out there, so this gives us a way to help reduce that," Martin said.
Research shows there’s a strong link between carbon emissions and poor air quality. Martin said the commission started soliciting site recommendations from member communities and organizations starting in Fall 2022.
“Park districts, libraries, city halls and county buildings were the ideal locations for these (because) they attract a lot of people,” Martin said.
Rap Hankins, with Drive Electric Dayton, a nonprofit that advocates for electric vehicle use, said their organization has been asking for chargers at public libraries for years.
“For families who are coming to the library or going to the park or going on a walk, it's nice that for that half an hour you can plug in for an hour and go home with 20 or 40 miles (of driving distance).”
Hankins said in order for people to make the investment in electric vehicles, they have to know that charging options will be available.
“Our motto is EVs for all so we want to make sure that everybody who wants to drive electric can drive electric. We call it driving on choice which means if you want to do that you have the right to do it. But if the infrastructure isn't there, you can't do it,” he said.
