CHICAGO – ? Today, Governor JB Pritzker announced Illinois as the winner of $114 million in competitive federal grant funding to support new electric vehicle charging stations across Illinois, including the Chicagoland area, Springfield, Metro East, and Quad Cities. The federal funds total $114 million from the U.S. Department of Transportation to build 14 truck charging hubs, adding to the statewide charging infrastructure. Illinois received the largest award, the second largest being $55 million. Governor Pritzker also announced $39 million in state funding to build 1,476 charging stations at 242 locations in Illinois, helping make access to charging more accessible across the state.
The federal funding was awarded to two specific programs: $100 million for Illinois Environmental Protection Agency’s project entitled Equitable Future-Ready Electrification Infrastructure for Green Heavy-duty Transportation (E-FREIGHT) and $14 million for the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ Aggregated Community Charging for the Chicago Metropolitan Region project. The $39 million in state funding is provided through the Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program, made possible through Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan and authorized under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA).
“This is another win for Illinois as we lead the EV revolution, strengthening our EV infrastructure and building a cleaner, more sustainable transportation network,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of federal and state partners, these investments mark a major step forward in making EVs more accessible and advancing our clean energy goals.”
The new CEJA awards fund DCFC charging stations at publicly accessible locations (shopping centers, retail stores, gas stations, hotels, etc.) across the state. Additional points were awarded to projects in Equity Investment Eligible Communities. Round 2 of CEJA EV charging funding included the same private-sector applicants and Level 3 DCFC Chargers, while also opening eligibility to units of local government and Level 2 chargers. Illinois EPA awarded $25.1 million in EV Charging grants under CEJA last Spring, and $12.6 million in Volkswagen Settlement, providing funding for more than 2,300 new charging ports. Today in Illinois, there are 4,051 active public charging ports, including 2,728 Level 2 and 1,323 Level 3 Fast Charging.
For the full list of Illinois EPA’s CEJA Round 2 grantees, click here.
“Illinois EPA is proud to be a part of building up EV charging infrastructure throughout Illinois,” said Illinois EPA Director James Jennings. “As more projects are developed and deployed, Illinois will serve as a critical connecting charging hub for zero emission vehicles, especially trucks, traveling across the nation.”
The State of Illinois will also receive $114,471,562 in federal funding through Round Two of the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Grant Program for installing electric vehicle (EV) charging stations along designated alternative fuel corridors and in Illinois Communities.
Illinois EPA’s project, E-FREIGHT in Illinois, will receive $100 Million to deploy 14 publicly accessible vehicle charging stations along priority freight corridors across Illinois. These stations will add 345 electric vehicle charging ports and vehicle stalls, and features battery storage and clean on-site power generation. Most of the locations will have chargers which have Megawatt Charging System (MCS) connectors or are MCS-ready. MCS chargers are high-powered chargers and can charge a heavy-duty electric truck to 80% in less than half an hour.
Nationally, this Illinois-based charging infrastructure network will serve as a critical connecting node in the middle of the country to expand medium-heavy duty charging hubs beyond existing East and West coast deployments. From Illinois, a truck can reach 83 percent of the continental US within a two-day drive. Many cities are only one EV charge away from the borders of Illinois, including dozens across parts of these 14 States. This project represents a significant step forward for Illinois in meeting its transportation decarbonization goals. Collectively, these stations are estimated to support over 3,300 medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles per day.
