Illinois continues to invest in electric vehicle charging infrastructure. $25 million was awarded to applicants, the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency announced Wednesday.
Under the Driving a Cleaner Illinois program, the grants will fund 643 new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) ports at 141 locations throughout the state. Applicants filed requests in 2023. The grants are funded through the bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan and authorized under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). In 2023, Illinois EPA awarded $12.6 million in Volkswagen Settlement funding for more than 300 new EV fast charging ports.
“In Illinois, we’re strategically turning our vision for a clean energy future into a reality,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Thanks to recent grant awards, my administration will double the number of publicly available fast charging ports—putting us one step closer to our goal of reaching 100% clean energy by 2050.”
“Through these grants, Illinois will increase the number of fast charging ports by over 100 percent, resulting in nearly 1,000 more fast charging ports available for Illinois’ EV motorists and visitors,” said Director Kim. “This is significant progress in building out EV charging infrastructure throughout Illinois, with more opportunities on the way.”
These awards fund DCFC charging stations at publicly accessible locations across the state. Additional points were awarded to projects in Equity Investment Eligible Communities.
Rivian Automotive received $920,000 for charging at retail/shopping destinations in Springfield. Other capital city awards went to Road Ranger at gas stations.
Universal EV will receive money for hotel/shopping locations, including in Decatur and Lincoln. Pilot Travel Centers was awarded funds for Decatur and other communities. Adams Electric Cooperative will use grants for charging stations at a hotel and community college.
The Illinois EPA also recently announced Round 2 of CEJA EV charging funding, which includes the same eligible private-sector applicants and Level 3 DCFC Chargers, while also opening eligibility to units of local government and Level 2 chargers. More information about Round 2 is available at this link: https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/air-quality/driving-a-cleaner-illinois.html.
