COLUMBUS, Ohio, January 14, 2020 – Smart Columbus, together with Columbus College of Art & Design (CCAD), the Columbus Foundation and Greenspot, today dedicated Columbus’ first DC fast electric vehicle (EV) chargers available in a public right-of-way and open to public use.

“Columbus is now the fastest-growing market for EVs in the Midwest. Not only does this benefit our local air quality and our community’s impact on climate change, but it reinforces Columbus’ leadership in the adoption and advancement of new technologies,” said Mandy Bishop, Smat Columbus Program Manager, City of Columbus. “Dedicating public space to EV charging shows that we’re a progressive and tech-forward community, and will help to continue to drive our community’s continued adoption of these vehicles.”

Two DC fast EV charging stations, which each have two outlets allowing up to four vehicles to plug-in at any time and automatically charge in succession, are located on Fulton Street west of South 4th Street near the Brewery District neighborhood. DC fast chargers can fully charge long-range electric vehicles in about 30 minutes, but until now have not been available in a public setting in Columbus.

This project is a significant milestone in the deployment of Columbus’s electric vehicle infrastructure and supports the vision of the $10 million Paul G. Allen Family Foundation grant awarded through the Smart City Challenge, and the space for the new charging stations was made available by the City of Columbus.

“We are very excited to launch our first electric vehicle charging stations in the Midwest through our partnership with the City of Columbus and The Columbus Partnership,” said Greenspot COO Michael Mazur. “Columbus continues to prove itself as a leading city, creating a precedent and paving the way for cleaner, more efficient transportation options in cities throughout the United States”.

The chargers are shrouded in a work of public art created by four CCAD students whose designs were chosen through a competition held in their branding class. The art features dazzling neon lights that glow around the chargers. Smart Columbus commissioned the art to promote artistic expression while expanding awareness of EV charging availability in the community.

“Columbus College of Art & Design equips students with the skills they need to change culture and commerce and drive the creative economy of the future,” said Dr. Melanie Corn, President of Columbus College of Art & Design. “We were thrilled to partner with Smart Columbus so our students could show off their talent, bring art to public charging stations, and gain real-world experience.”

Art for the EV chargers was funded by the Joseph A. Jeffrey Endowment Fund through the Columbus Foundation. The Jeffrey Manufacturing Company had close ties to the coal industry as the world’s largest manufacturer of mining machinery in the late 1800’s. The fund, originally established in 1919, is used to support nonprofit organizations in Columbus and throughout Franklin County.

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About Smart Columbus

The City of Columbus’ Smart Columbus plan won the U.S. Department of Transportation (U.S. DOT) $40 million Smart City Challenge in June 2016 after competing against 77 cities nationwide to become the country’s first city to fully integrate innovative technologies – self- driving cars, connected vehicles and smart sensors – into its transportation network. Columbus was also awarded an additional $10 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Philanthropies to accelerate the transition to an electrified, low-emissions transportation system. Aligned investments totaling more than $500 million have been made by the private, public and academic institutions in the region to support technology and infrastructure investments that upgrade Columbus' transportation network and help make Columbus the model connected city of the future. Smart Columbus is a regional smart city initiative co-led by the City of Columbus and Columbus Partnership that includes partnerships with The Ohio State University, Battelle, American Electric Power and many more.

For more information, visit smartcolumbus.com.

About Greenspot

Greenspot is an award-winning New Jersey-based electric mobility startup specializing in electric vehicle (EV) charging. Greenspot’s mission is twofold: (1) facilitating electric vehicle adoption, and (2) reducing vehicle ownership per household by one. Greenspot works with the public and private sector to develop, install, and manage smart EV charging networks, which are coupled with shared mobility solutions such as electric car sharing. Greenspot’s public-private partnerships (P3s) are catalyzing  EV adoption for fleets, shared vehicles and personal vehicles alike.

Greenspot unique model is currently being implemented in New Jersey, New York, Massachusetts, Ohio, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania and internationally in Israel. For more information, visit joingreenspot.com.

About Columbus College of Art & Design

Columbus College of Art & Design teaches undergraduate and graduate students in the midst of a thriving creative community in Columbus, Ohio. Founded in 1879, CCAD is one of the oldest private, nonprofit art and design colleges in the United States. CCAD offers 12 BFA programs and two master’s programs in art and design that produce graduates equipped to shape culture and business at the highest level. For more information, visit ccad.edu.

About the Columbus Foundation

The Columbus Foundation serves nearly 3,000 individuals, families, and businesses that have created unique funds and planned gifts to make a difference in the lives of others through the most effective philanthropy possible. The Columbus Foundation is Your Trusted Philanthropic Advisor® and one of the top 10 largest community foundations in the United States. For more information, visit columbusfoundation.org.