Covington is planning to seek federal funding to build new EV charging stations on public parking structures and lots throughout the city.
Covington Motor Vehicle Parking Authority Executive Director Jack Monts de Oca made the request to the Covington Board of Commissioners Tuesday night. If approved, the funds will be passed through the Kentucky Transportation Cabinet from the Ohio, Kentucky, Indiana Regional Council of Governments (or OKI) to the city on a reimbursement basis. The commissioners, some of whom own EVs themselves, put the measure on the consent agenda for next week’s meeting, meaning it will likely pass.
“The more we embrace this technology, the more it’s going to be better for our small business community,” said Mayor Ron Washington.
The funding will be split into two phases. The first is for a design phase, for which the city can request reimbursements for up to $100,000, for the stations and their attendant infrastructure. The second phase will see the installation of the stations, for which the city can request reimbursements of up to $500,000.
“It’s definitely a goal to disperse them throughout town, so that they’re not just clustered in one area,” Monts de Oca said.
The authority has already picked the locations for the stations. The first is the River Center Garage, located under the Embassy Suites on Rivercenter Boulevard. The second is the Midtown Garage near the library (the one with Clive the Alien). Finally, the third station will be located in the Pershing Lot in Mainstrausse behind Craft and Vines. The Midtown and Pershing locations, Monts de Oca said, are expected to have access to fast chargers that charge a car in about thirty minutes as those areas’ utility infrastructure is better capable of handling those types of chargers’ power demands.
Monts de Oca added the authority recently installed two charging stations at the John R. Green Garage on West 6th Street.
Residents using the lots and garages will be responsible for any fees incurred using the charging stations, as well as any fees to access the lots themselves. Once approved, Monts de Oca expects six to 12 months to actually get everything implemented.
Commissioner James Toebbe, who owns an EV, spoke to the paucity of charging stations in the region.
“For a lot of people, you don’t have an option to charge unless you run an extension cord out to the street,” said Toebbe. “So, this will give some of the residents that do have EVs opportunities to charge their vehicle within the city… When I charge, if I’m not charging at home, I always look for an area that I can charge for 20, 30 minutes.”
Commissioner Tim Downing asked Monts de Oca to send letters to city staff members and the commissioners outlining the rationale behind choosing those locations.
“That will be a question we’re asked as we’re engaging with the public as this becomes more publicized,” said Downing.
