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Mayor Daniella Levine Cava recently launched Miami-Dade County and OBE Power’s partnership to offer smart electric-vehicle (EV) charging stations at key Miami-Dade parking facilities throughout the county.
The launch — taking place during National Drive Electric Week (Sept. 25-Oct. 3) — is an important step forward toward a greener, more resilient community that confronts climate change head on by reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Under Mayor Levine Cava’s administration, the county is committed to reducing greenhouse gas emissions 50 percent by the year 2030 and reaching net-zero emissions by 2050.
Transitioning to electric vehicles also could have a significant impact for families. The cost of electric vehicle charging is roughly equivalent to paying just $1 per gallon for gas, thanks to their efficient performance and the lower cost of electricity. Therefore, a typical family can expect to save $5,000 over the course of 10 years when using an electric vehicle.
“We are very excited for this new project because it will eliminate one of the barriers that discourage people from transitioning to electric vehicles. As more parking lots have charging stations, more people will be able to charge their EV when they go to work,” Mayor Levine Cava said. “This project is part of our commitment to reducing emissions, and we are just getting started. Miami-Dade County has a full slate of plans for cutting pollution in our new Climate Action Strategy, which will be launched this fall.”
The charging station located at Miami-Dade County’s West Lot Garage, 220 NW Third St., Miami, FL 33128, is the first of four charging stations that are part of the partnership in downtown Miami, and Miami-Dade County expects to keep expanding the service to other areas throughout the county.
“We look forward to expanding electrical charging stations to other facilities countywide,” said Alex Muñoz, director of Miami-Dade’s Internal Services Department. “The Mayor’s initiative is just one component of a bigger effort to reduce emissions and protect the environment. ISD will do our part by providing and expanding charging options.”
To put this program in motion, Miami-Dade County is partnering with OBE Power, an Electric Vehicle Charging as a Service technology company. OBE Power makes EV charging easy for multi-family residents, corporate and government employees, students, and consumers wherever they work, live, and play.
The project is a mutually beneficial collaboration developed through the county’s Marketing Partnerships Program. The program supports the county’s efforts to enhance the community’s resilience while also creating revenue generating opportunities and saving taxpayers money. OBE Power is underwriting the costs for the entire project and has been granted access to market the assets for use by the general public.
“With more than 65,000 electric vehicles presently registered in our state, Florida is the second largest market for EVs in the country, and certainly one of the fastest growing, too.
About 40 percent of these vehicles are located in South Florida, between Miami-Dade, Broward and Palm Beach,” said Alejandro Burgana, CEO of OBE Power. “It’s truly an honor to work with Mayor Levine Cava and the entire Miami-Dade County team in our common mission to reduce CO2 pollution from transportation by making EV charging widely available and accessible to everyone.”
