Columbus, OH, August 16, 2017 - The Smart Columbus initiative today announced the availability of $170,000 in rebate funding to help give apartment- and condo-dwellers in the Greater Columbus region greater access to electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The MultiUnit Dwelling (MUD) rebates funded through a $10 million grant awarded to the City of Columbus by Vulcan, Inc., a Paul G. Allen Company, with the objective of accelerating the transition to electrified, low-emission vehicles, will be administered by Clean Fuels Ohio with oversight by the Smart Columbus Electrification Program (SCEP). "

According to the U.S. Department of Energy and other sources, 80 to 85 percent of electric vehicle charging happens at home," said Michael Stevens, Chief Innovation Officer for the City of Columbus. "When condo and apartment residents lack access to charging at home, it presents a major barrier to purchasing EVs, which are not only more sustainable, but are also easier to maintain. Through these grants, we hope to encourage more developers and property owners to install charging stations, giving our community greater access to EVs."

The Smart Columbus MUD rebate program will award funding on a first-come-first-serve basis to apartment and condominium developers and owners in Franklin, Delaware, Union, Madison, Pickaway, Fairfield and Licking Counties. Rebates can be redeemed for a value of up to $3,500 per plug or parking space, with a maximum of $25,000 awarded to any one entity or applicant. The objective for this funding is to provide home charging access for those who do not own their own parking spot and/or do not have access to their own power source such as in a designated garage or carport. SCEP reserves the right to select awardees based on overall geographical distribution of projects and other factors.

"In 2015, just 0.37 percent of cars sold in Central Ohio were electric vehicles," said Stevens. "Through our Vulcan, Inc. grant projects, we intend to bring our city's EV adoption rate to at least 1.8 percent by 2020- a four-fold increase from 2015 rates that would put more than 3,200 EVs on the road and position Columbus as one of the leading EV adoption cities in the country. These rebates are an important first step toward achieving this goal, and ultimately, toward enabling Columbus residents to move around more efficiently and live more sustainably."

Rebate applications are now available on the City of Columbus website. The Smart Columbus program office, with support from Clean Fuels Ohio, is available to help MUD developers and owners complete their application.

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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 Paul G. Allen's Vulcan, Inc. 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 the Smart Columbus website www.smart.columbus.gov.