State Farm is removing electric vehicle charging stations from its parking decks at Corporate and Corporate South headquarters in Bloomington, and at its hubs throughout the nation.
The move is effective as of Oct. 28, according to a message sent to company employees.
“While we understand the impact to those who rely on EV charging, it is our top priority to ensure a safe and secure working environment for our employees." states the message. "Following an Enterprise Risk Assessment and evaluations conducted by local fire departments and workplace protection in each hub and corporate headquarters, fire risks were identified in the parking garages that cannot be mitigated at this time.”
The company told workers it will consider plans for "alternative charging locations outside of parking garages, including the possibility for EV parking."
“Construction projects are being explored at corporate headquarters and the Illinois Operations Center to install EV chargers in available surface lots where fire safety risks to other vehicles and structures are minimized,” said the company in the message.
There are several studies that note fires in electric vehicles occur in the U.S. at a much lower rate than they do for gasoline-powered vehicles. The studies also record that when EV fires do happen, they tend to cost more than ones in gasoline-powered vehicles.
EV battery fires tend to burn hotter and may be more difficult to put out than standard vehicle fires.
State Farm is not saying much about the level of risk the company assesses and, in a statement requested by WGLT, the company largely repeated its message to workers.
“It is our top priority to ensure a safe and secure working environment," said the statement. "We will announce relevant updates as these plans are finalized.”
Many EV advocates recommend installing charging stations under cover and inside garages because the infrastructure gets less weathering and tends to last longer without repairs.
The Town of Normal has 19 EV chargers in town-owned parking decks. A spokesperson said Normal is not aware that environment is a factor for properly installed and functioning chargers.
Regardless of where the chargers are, EV advocates have said a significant barrier to widespread EV adoption is a nationwide lack of charging infrastructure.
The 2021 infrastructure law includes money to create a 500,000-station national EV charging network. That includes $5 billion for states, with $2.5 billions going to communities and corridors for a competitive grant program for projects that meet federal priorities such as rural charging, improving local air quality and creating access to charging stations in disadvantaged areas.
Illinois lawmakers also passed the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act in 2021. That law sets a goal to get 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030 and includes funding to build EV infrastructure across the state and provide rebates to customers for electric vehicle purchases.
The Biden-Harris administration has set a goal of having half of all vehicle sales be EVs in the U.S. by 2030.
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