INDIANAPOLIS — The city of Indianapolis on Monday announced it will not exercise its option to purchase charging stations for the former BlueIndy electric car service.
BlueIndy announced in December 2019 that the service would end in Indianapolis this year because it "did not reach the level of activity required to be economically viable here."
The city initiated a request for information process and infrastructure analysis to examine the feasibility of repurposing the vehicle charging infrastructure.
On Monday, the city announced that the existing charging stations perform at a level "below what is considered viable for reuse." In addition, the established connections to power offer numerous possibilities for reuse of the locations on a case-by-base basis.
The city said it will initiate a public engagement process to invite resident input on ideas to reuse the charging stations. Resident input is expected to start in October and will include neighborhood engagement, surveys, and site-based information gathering. This phase is expected to last through the end of the year, the city said.
The city said in a statement it expects to develop plans for future uses at each site and issue requests for proposals for specific concepts in the first quarter next year. Once selections are made and awards bid out, implementation is expected in fall 2021.
The service started in Indianapolis in 2015 despite complaints from local businesses about losing parking spots in front of their storefronts.
