Electric vehicle charging stations open in Greater Cincinnati

Electric car owners in Cincinnati and Northern Kentucky now have more access to electric charging stations.

Newport on the Levee's parking garage now features three electric vehicle charging stations.

These free stations are part of the Levee's effort toward being more eco-friendly, according to a Levee news release.

Levee Marketing Director Christy Gloyd said customers can use these stations until their cars are fully charged.

"It's all about customer convenience and helping out customers," Gloyd said.

The stations are located on the P1 level of the garage, which is the level cars enter the garage, and feature green signs that say "Electric Vehicle Parking Station."

Cincinnati also announced Tuesday the opening of five fast-charging stations at various locations across the city.

The Cincinnati Zoo, University of Cincinnati, Xavier University, Cincinnati State and Findlay Market all now have DC Fast Chargers, which can charge a car in about 20 minutes.

Director of the City of Cincinnati's Office of Environment and Sustainability Larry Falkin said any fully electric vehicle should be able to use the DC Fast Chargers. Each charger has two differently shaped plugs.

Falkin said these chargers were installed because more people are purchasing electric cars and want access to these chargers.

The Zoo also has three double level two chargers, so six more vehicles can be charging at a time.

He said this helps Cincinnati to be attractive to those who drive electric cars and are looking for a city to call home.

There are also many environmental benefits, Falkin said, such as less dependence on petroleum.

"Use of electric vehicles helps make the air in Cincinnati cleaner," Falkin said.