The City of Cleveland, Ohio, is preparing for the addition of electric vehicles (EVs) to its fleet by purchasing the needed charging stations for the vehicles. The utilities committee approved an emergency ordinance to allow for the installation of electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) at approximately nine locations, as well as making the modifications needed for the EVSE at Department of Public Utilities (DPU) facilities, according to the Cleveland Scene.

According to the emergency ordinance, DPU director Martin Keane will be able to enter into one or more contracts to get the EVSE for the department.

The approximately $1.4 million will pay for the installation of 31 EV charging stations, with an estimated installation cost of about $45,000 per station. The city currently has 24 EVs on order, Keane told the council. They will be the department's first EVs; it currently has seven hybrid vehicles in its fleet of hundreds of vehicles.

Keane said many of the facilities will need new power lines to accomodate the EVSE, and that the infrastructure will allow for more charging stations in the future, so the investment will pay off.