A major investment from the Ohio-Kentucky-Indiana Regional Council of Governments (OKI) has launched the region’s first electric vehicle fast-charging stations funded through the federal Carbon Reduction Program. The four chargers are now up and running in the city of Hamilton.
Fueled by a $321,135 federal grant from OKI, Hamilton installed the Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) stations next to the Hamilton Municipal Garage at 2216 S. Erie Blvd. As part of the grant, two more fast chargers are scheduled for installation at 141 Market Street this fall. “The EV charging station sites are positioned in areas of high traffic and are being used on a daily basis,” said Hamilton Senior Project Manager Michael Gurr.
“We’re deeply grateful to OKI for their guidance and funding support throughout this initiative—they’ve been an invaluable partner,” Gurr added.
This marks the first EV fast-charging project in the region to be funded and completed through OKI’s CRP, which was established under the 2021 Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act, also known as the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The program allocates funding to states and metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs), such as OKI, based on population.
“Electric vehicles have entered the market faster than many industry analysts anticipated,” said OKI CEO Mark Policinski. “The pace of future adoption will depend on evolving economic, political and technological forces.”
From 2020 to 2024, total EV registrations in the OKI region grew from 4,392 to 22,441, according to public data sources. Hamilton, Butler, Warren and Clermont Counties saw registrations grow from 4,054 in 2020 to 19,419 in Northern Kentucky’s Campbell, Kenton and Boone counties grew from 320 to 2,649 registrations during the same time.
“The numbers indicate many motorists are gaining confidence in the availability of reliable public charging in the region,” said David Shuey, OKI’s Director of Information Systems and Analytics.
Since the CRP became available in 2023, OKI has awarded nearly $17 million in federal funding to interested communities to expand EV charging infrastructure across the region. That funding will support the installation of 283 Level 2 and 82 Level 3 DC fast chargers at public sites, including parks, government buildings, parking facilities, and the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG).
In the program’s first year, OKI awarded $2.5 million to six applicants for EV charging stations. In March 2024, the agency awarded $3.2 million to eight applicants. In October 2024, OKI allocated $11.1 million to build 43 EV charging stations across the region.
