- Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, alongside the Illinois Department of Transportation, marked World EV Day™ by announcing $23.5m worth of investment to build new charging stations along crucial interstate roads within Illinois.
- The funding will help drive the state’s ongoing commitment to have one million EVs on the road, by 2030.
- The additional funding was made available through the federal-level Infrastructure Investment & Jobs Act.
Illinois continues to charge the American EV transition on World EV Day™
This additional funding comes after $44m was allocated for more local-focused public charging back in March, with the latest instead focusing on charging along interstates, as part of the goals of the US’ National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program, which aims to provide charging stations at least every 50 miles along designated interstates. This should help range anxiety become even more of a distant memory – encouraging both current EV drivers and prospective EV owners alike, and assist the state in achieving its goal of one million EVs on the road, by 2030.
This first round of NEVI funding will facilitate 37 separate charging projects dotted near and on Illinois interstates, creating over 182 individual charge points. A number of these locations will also include ultra-fast DC chargers, capable of charging the average EV from empty to full in under 30 minutes. The list of venues benefitting from the new funding can be found here.
It’s not the last round of NEVI-related funding the state will see this year, either, with applications set to open for a second round, later this year, while the Department of Transportation has also published a map showing funding-eligible EV corridors.
Illinois Governor, JB Pritzker, commented on the new funding:
“Today, I am proud to take another step toward making Illinois a national leader in clean energy… Thanks to the NEVI program, we’re able to build an integrated network of charging stations that will help ensure we meet our goal of putting 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2030. As Illinois leads the electric vehicle revolution, we’re fulfilling our commitment to cleaner, greener energy and travel in every corner of the state.”
Illinois Transportation Secretary, Omer Osman, added:
“We’re proud of our work to make Gov. Pritzker’s electric vehicle goals a reality. This round of funding will bring new life to those efforts in communities large and small, further positioning Illinois as a leader in the growth of electric vehicles… Under Gov. Pritzker, IDOT is committed to providing the public with safe, reliable options on how they wish to travel. Building EV infrastructure also creates new economic opportunities throughout the state.”
