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Akron plans to expand its electric vehicle infrastructure, following recommendations from the city鈥檚 EV Planning Taskforce.

The city received the full report from the taskforce in February, according to the , which included recommendations to both increase the number of public electric charging stations and introduce an affordable, pilot EV car share service in Akron.

鈥淓quity was our primary concern when we were thinking through whether and how to go about planning for a community EV charging network,鈥� Emily Collins, Strategic Advisor to Mayor Dan Horrigan, said. 鈥淭he taskforce actually recommended, first of all, that we at least pilot an EV car share, and their goal with an EV car share is to increase mobility.鈥�

The car share service is expected to cost $8 an hour, Collins said, with the goal of introducing Akron residents to EVs, while improving mobility throughout the region.

鈥淎n EV car share has the potential to allow people access to basic government services, 鈥� workforce opportunities and health care, not to mention groceries,鈥� Collins said, 鈥渁nd 鈥� at $8 for an hour.鈥�

The city is already having discussions with Sway Mobility, a carshare service, exploring opportunities for the pilot, according to the news release, and issued a request for proposals for additional charging stations.

The city hopes to introduce its residents to EVs ahead of a transportation shift that, Collins said, could rival the move from horse and buggies to cars.

鈥淚t's not that we expect, you know, a transition of that kind of magnitude, but we certainly expect the transition where EVs are going to be predominantly really occupying our roadways quickly as soon as they're affordable.鈥�

Electric vehicle registration in Summit County is expected to reach 9,764 by 2027 and 41,909 by 2032, according to Akron鈥檚 .

The 50-person taskforce relied on expert and public feedback, along with federal data to determine the best way to address the need for equitable EV infrastructure that would serve the community as EV use increases.

鈥淲e wanted to utilize the wealth of community information and expertise in the electric vehicle charging space to understand how to best go about鈥� thinking through the challenges and opportunities of building a network,鈥� Collins said.

The EV Taskforce identified a need for more than 750 public charging stations within a 10-minute walk of multi-family homes and apartment complexes in areas called 鈥渄evelopment zones.鈥� This includes 240-volt level 2 charging stations within a 10-minute walk of any residential building in Akron, and a 480-volt level 3 charging stations within a 10-minute drive of any Akron residence.

鈥淭he way charging tends to work is that people are charging at night, they're charging when they aren't using the vehicle,鈥� Collins said. 鈥淪o, access to a charge, a community charging network, needs to be placed so that people who don't have access to home charging are able to conduct that same鈥� activity at night.鈥�

Locations of charging stations are not yet set in stone, Collins said, and the taskforce hopes to get more public feedback before doing so.

Many of the EV charging stations in the city currently are owned by private businesses, and used as a way to bring in customers. This shows that Akron鈥檚 EV infrastructure could use some improving, Collins said, especially as it relates to public accessibility.

鈥淗ow can we make sure that each of these charging stations, can be not only 鈥� physically accessible to a person with disabilities,鈥� Collins said, 鈥渂ut also, [that] they鈥檙e striped right, they鈥檙e there covered so somebody who's engaging in fast charging, which is usually about a 20-minute wait time, actually has a place to go other than their car.鈥�

Proposals are due to the city by April 14, and Collins said the city hopes to implement the updated EV infrastructure by the summer.