Columbus, OH, June 18, 2018 - Smart Columbus today announced the availability of $30,000 in rebate funding designed to accelerate the adoption of electric vehicles (EVs) by taxi services. The new Smart Columbus Transportation Service Provider Battery Electric Vehicle Rebate Program, which is expected to grow to $120,000 in total funding, is funded by the $10 million grant awarded to Columbus by the Paul G. Allen Philanthropies as the winner of the Smart City Challenge. By introducing more electric taxis to Columbus streets, the program seeks to foster sustainability, educate the public on EVs and capture data on EV usage.  

Ten rebates of $3,000 are now available to taxi service providers that purchase an all-electric vehicle for their fleet. Upon the completion of the 10-vehicle pilot, the program is expected to grow to sponsor an additional 30 vehicles; a second application for this funding will be published in October 2018. Rebates will be awarded to applicants that successfully demonstrate they will maximize EV miles driven, trips taken and number of passengers per trip. Consideration will also be awarded to providers that demonstrate that they will use the vehicle to educate riders on the benefits of EVs. 

“The EV taxi rebate program will transition thousands of miles driven in central Ohio from combustion engine vehicles to electric vehicles, which will immediately impact emissions in our region,” said Michael Stevens, chief innovation officer for the City of Columbus. “It will also generate thousands of positive experiences when our residents hail and ride in an electric taxi—  potentially experiencing an electric vehicle for the first time. We see the program not only as a way to deploy more sustainable vehicles quickly, but also as a long-term educational effort that show our residents how quiet, fun and safe electric vehicles can be.”

Service providers awarded rebates will receive half the rebate funding upon purchase of the vehicle, and half the funding after the vehicle has been commissioned for a full 12 months and the provider has submitted monthly data on the vehicle’s utilization to Smart Columbus. Data will be used to inform future efforts to grow the ratio of electric vehicles in transportation service provider fleets. 

Rebate applications are now available on the Smart Columbus website and are due by June 29. Clean Fuels Ohio is available to help applicants 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 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 the Smart Columbus website https://www.columbus.gov/smartcolumbus/.