Cleveland, OH
Ohio to Spend $169 Million Building Electric Vehicle Charging Stations Near Highways in Next Five Years
Ohio should be an easier state to drive in for Tesla, Rivian and other EV owners by the end of the decade.
That’s the overall goal underlying an announcement of a massive funding package by state electric vehicle advocates Wednesday morning, one that intends to inject hundreds of millions of dollars into bringing Ohio’s lackluster EV charging station stock up to speed.
And the data doesn’t lie.
Just in April, a report from S&P Global Mobility ranked Cleveland well near the bottom of the top 50 U.S. cities for registered owners of electric vehicles, a stat owed to both the high point of entry for said vehicles and, undeniably, the deficit of charging stations across the state.
On Wednesday, in a lecture room at Tri-C’s Advanced Technology Training Center , Grace Gallucci, the director of the Northeast Ohio Area Coordinating Agency, and experts on alternative energy infrastructure spoke promisingly to a packed room about how $169 million in federal grant dollars would be doled out across Ohio in the next five years.
Priorities in that spending money—spread out amongst NOACA, the Sustainable Ohio Public Energy Council and the Ohio Department of Transportation—were made clear: power stations for Ohio EV drivers should be conveniently placed. That is to, one day, have 9 out of 10 Ohioans within a 25-mile radius of an EV charging station.
“We have a pretty extensive alternative fuel corridor network,” Breanna Badanes, a spokesperson for DriveOhio, said. “But it’s clear that there are still plenty of gaps throughout the state, particularly in Southern Ohio, some in Northwestern Ohio. So that’s kind of what we’re here to talk about: planning for these future phases when we can build outside of the alternative fuel corridors, what we still need to prioritize as a state.”
Ohio currently has 1,578 stations in sum, those mostly on private land and relatively close to highways and shopping centers. Many are in areas with higher income levels, an issue of equity speakers on Wednesday said its charging station spending plans to address.
As of June, there a dozen new charging stations planned in the greater Northeast Ohio area, and only one so far in construction, a station west of Akron. A Pilot EV station, funded in part with federal dollars, opened off I-71 in Columbus in December.
These future stations, for which $56 million has been spent thus far, follow guidelines listed by the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program, which dictates a state must build a station every 50 miles off major transportation corridors and include at least four Fast Chargers of at least 600 kilowatts of combined power.
Katie Zehnder, vice president at HNTB, a transportation infrastructure firm, reminded attendees on Wednesday that Ohio’s push to become more EV-friendly is based on—just like bike lines and crosswalks—the premise that infrastructure creates culture.
The same goes, she said, for encouraging more electric usage at commercial enterprises, such as equipping UPS and DHL trucks with the on-road power they need to make the switch sustainable.
A recent survey of freight riders testing out new electric trucks showed Drive Ohio that driving EVs led to employees taking fewer sick days, less gas engine vibration, and led to “less back issues.”
“Which I was admittedly kind of shocked by at the time,” Zehnder said about the study. “Ride and drives, just exposure to EVs, that’s really the best thing. Because once people get into these vehicles, they really seem to enjoy them.”
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Cleveland, OH
FBI Cleveland special agent in charge appointed to officer training commission
COLUMBUS, Ohio — Ohio Gov. Mike DeWine has appointed FBI Cleveland Special Agent in Charge Greg Nelsen to the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission.
“I am honored to serve as the newest member of the Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission and help to uphold and improve law enforcement training in Ohio,” Nelsen said in a press release.
He has been with the FBI for more than 23 years. He had also been the deputy assistant director at the FBI Criminal Justice Information Service Division’s Operational Programs Branch. Before joining the FBI, he had been a police officer.
“The Ohio Peace Officer Training Commission improves Ohio peace officers’ professional capabilities through the careful oversight of law enforcement training within the state,” the release reads. “The commission has also been given the same responsibility regarding private security, local corrections, jail personnel, bailiffs, and public defender investigators.”
The governor appoints the commission members “with the advice and consent of the Ohio Senate” for a three-year term. They can make recommendations related to officer training to the Attorney General.
Cleveland, OH
Teen shot on Edgewater Beach in serious condition; 20+ shots reported
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – A teenager was hit with gunfire on Edgewater Beach Saturday evening after a reported 20 to 30 shots were heard in the area.
According to Cleveland Dispatch, police were called to the scene near the Edgewater Beach House around 9 p.m.
Cleveland Metroparks Police are handling the investigation.
According to Cleveland EMS, the 18-year-old was grazed in his back and was taken to the hospital in serious condition.
19 News reached out to Cleveland Metroparks for more information and they released the following statement:
19 News crews on scene counted over a dozen police markers. Police are still searching the area for shell casings.
19 News is on the scene and will continue to update this developing story.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
Cleveland, OH
Man charged in Cleveland wrong-way crash that killed 1, injured 2
CLEVELAND, Ohio (WOIO) – The Cuyahoga County Prosecutor’s Office on Friday announced the indictment of a man accused of killing one person and injuring three others.
Cleveland EMS dispatchers say the crash occurred at 1:02 a.m. on I-71 near the W. 150th Street exit.
24-year-old Marco Castro faces charges of aggravated vehicular homicide, involuntary manslaughter, aggravated vehicular assault, vehicular assault and OVI, according to Prosecutor Michael C. O’Malley.
The Cuyahoga County Medical Examiner’s Office said 58-year-old Vertica Lemaitre, of Oak Harbor, died at the scene.
The crash also left a 32-year-old woman and a 61-year-old man injured. Castro was also injured in the crash.
This is a developing story. Return to 19 News for updates.
Copyright 2024 WOIO. All rights reserved.
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