The State of Illinois allocates $50m for EV funding

• Illinois continues its US-leading push for electric vehicles under its National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Programme (NEVI).
• The state’s Department of Transportation has opened the first round of funding opportunities to build charging stations in the region.
• This funding, worth $50 million, will be enough to open 46 charging hubs across the state.

Illinois opens $50m funding to extend EV charging network

The Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) has unveiled a funding opportunity aimed at boosting the spread of electric vehicle (EV) charging stations across the state. With a budget of up to $50 million, the initiative plans to construct 46 charging stations, strategically located along key travel routes.

There are approximately 3,281 individual charging points in the state so far, according to estimates from the US Department of Energy. From this new investment, we could see a significant triple-figure addition to this number, depending on the size of the charging stations in question. The announcement comes hot on the heels of President Biden announcing an investment of $623 million into the country’s EV charging network.

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Unlike states such as California, who have committed to ban the sale of new gas and diesel cars by 2035, Illinois has no similar plan in place yet. With this significant infrastructure growth, and more phases of funding set to come, this could change in the near future.

Governor of Illinois, J.B. Pritzker, said:

“Ongoing EV adoption is a priority for my administration. Thanks to the NEVI’s historic investment in clean energy infrastructure, we’re able to build an integrated network of charging stations in Illinois’ key travel corridors that will lead to new ridership.”

Illinois Transportation Secretary, Omer Osman, added:

“This funding opportunity from IDOT puts us one step closer to achieving Gov. JB Pritzker’s goal to have one million EVs on Illinois roads by 2030. I urge anyone interested to reach out to our staff and find out more as we work together to create jobs and economic opportunity while supporting greener transportation.”

Interested parties have until May 7 at 5 p.m. to submit their applications for funding. To assist applicants, IDOT has made available a webinar recording on their website. It provides guidance on the application process.