Cincinnati committee outlines grants, contracts and timeline to expand EV charging and electrify city fleet

The Climate, Environment and Infrastructure Committee heard an update Thursday on electric-vehicle adoption and charging infrastructure across Cincinnati, including notification of two grants, a signed contract with a curbside-charging vendor and a Jones Lang LaSalle (JLL) study recommending how the city should prioritize fleet electrification and charging sites.

Director Ollie Kroner from the administration told the committee the city was notified of a successful Federal Highway Administration Charging and Fueling Infrastructure award for $850,000 and of a Carbon Reduction Grant administered by OKI for roughly $1.2 million to support level 3 fast chargers in neighborhood business districts. Kroner also said the city has secured a contract with Green Spot to install curbside chargers in business districts such as downtown and Over-the-Rhine, with a goal of roughly 100 curbside units over the next five years.

The grants, the Green Spot contract and a JLL fleet electrification analysis together create a near-term plan for both public charging and the city’s own vehicle transition, officials said. The committee heard that the city aims to pair vehicle purchases with charging access, collect telematics data to refine vehicle selection and concentrate charging hubs where they produce economies of scale.

The nut graf: Transportation produces about one-third of Cincinnati’s annual greenhouse-gas emissions, and officials said a combined strategy of reduced vehicle trips, transit and electrification is needed. The FHWA and OKI grants will fund public chargers, while a separate procurement and vendor contract will expand curbside options to residents and visitors who lack private driveways or garages.

Officials and consultants laid out the key facts and next steps. Andrew Lenoz, a consultant from Jones Lang LaSalle, said his team analyzed roughly 1,800 city-owned vehicles, screened about 1,400 for operational suitability and found roughly 900 vehicles (about 66% of the screened pool) have an electric equivalent. He said about 54% of analyzed vehicles could produce an estimated $10 million in lifecycle savings if replaced on a standard replacement schedule. “That was sort of the baseline thinking that we had,” Lenoz said, summarizing the study’s approach to prioritizing passenger cars and SUVs as the lowest-impact start for electrification.

Rob McCracken of the Office of Environmental Services (OES) described current fleet and charging conditions: “Right now we stand at 60 fully electric vehicles and 9 plug-in hybrid EVs,” he said, and added the fleet currently uses a mix of non-networked level 1 outlets and about 34 level 2 chargers. McCracken and JLL recommended upgrading to “smart,” networked chargers so the city can capture usage, charging duration and travel patterns; city officials said they expect to begin that upgrade as soon as a charging contract is finalized.

Officials identified candidate charging locations that cluster city vehicles to attain economies of scale. JLL and city staff highlighted a Bates Avenue location near Fleet Services for a centralized fleet hub and discussed the Plum Street parking garage, which is ground-leased to the Port Authority, as a potential public or shared hub. Kroner said the city will continue conversations with the Port Authority about costs and feasibility.

On public charging, Kroner said Green Spot will own and operate curbside chargers under a revenue-share contract; the city retains a buyout right on equipment. “We hope we have a vision to install a hundred of these over the next 5 years,” Kroner said. He added that meter parking will remain in effect and drivers who charge will pay both parking and charging fees.

Committee members raised equity and operational concerns. A public commenter, Stefan Pryor, urged staff to study how cold weather affects EV battery range and warned that aggregation programs for electricity suppliers had not saved consumers money, a claim he attributed to a December 20, 2024 Ohio State University study. Committee member Councilmember Albee recounted a personal experience: she said that after driving to City Hall during a cold spell, an EV’s estimated range fell from about 100 miles to roughly 30 while parked, and she urged the city to gather real-world winter performance data. “It might be worth reaching out to the drivers,” she said, noting that telematics and networked chargers would help provide that information.

Officials responded that telematics and networked chargers are central to the next phase. McCracken said the city will first convert existing 240-volt outlets to networked level 2 chargers to start collecting data immediately, with larger engineering and installation work on hubs to follow. Kroner said the Green Spot curbside chargers are expected in the ground and operable in the later half of 2025, that smart charger upgrades for fleet are targeted for the first half of 2025, and that engineering for larger hubs should be ready by the latter half of 2025 with installation to follow in 2026.

The committee also discussed federal incentives and vehicle pricing. Lenoz said the JLL financial analysis assumed the current $7,500 federal tax credit for many vehicles but noted that price declines in EVs are narrowing total-cost-of-ownership gaps such that some conversions can be economical even without federal credits. The consultants and staff said the city removed police and fire vehicles from the initial 400-vehicle-by-2028 target because those specialty use cases need additional evaluation.

Other operational points included training and warranties. McCracken said fleet staff have received training to work on EVs and that many manufacturer warranties cover vehicles for eight to 10 years; that, staff said, reduces near-term maintenance risk. Officials also said the city plans to pursue a Charging Smart certification (a national recognition program similar to the city’s recent SolSmart solar certification) to streamline permitting, zoning and inspection processes.

The committee did not vote on ordinances or issue formal motions in this briefing. Staff listed near-term tasks: finalize the charging vendor contract, upgrade non-networked chargers to smart chargers, secure funding for priority hubs, begin telematics data collection and pursue Charging Smart certification.

The meeting closed with members praising progress and emphasizing data-driven rollout. Staff said they will return with procurement and site-selection proposals and with telematics findings after several months of data collection.