First state-funded public electric vehicle chargers installed

SPRINGFIELD — Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (Illinois EPA) Interim Director James Jennings today announced the opening of the first four electric vehicle (EV) charging sites under the Illinois EPA’s Driving a Cleaner Illinois program. The sixteen charging ports at four charging sites are located at gas stations in Beach Park (Lake County), Le Roy (McLean County), South Beloit (Winnebago County), and Troy (Madison County). The new sites represent the first of more than 2,600 public DC fast charge and Level 2 ports the Illinois EPA plans to deploy across the State.

“Here in Illinois, we are excited to continue the build out of our electric vehicle charging network to support the transition to zero-emission vehicles,” said Interim Director Jennings. “The Driving a Cleaner Illinois program addresses gaps in the current EV charging network to assure that electric vehicles remain a choice for motorists across Illinois.”

Under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), the State of Illinois aims to deploy one million EVs on the road by 2030. The Illinois EPA has already awarded or is in the process of awarding a total of $82.6 million in grants to build DC fast chargers and level 2 chargers at public locations, including hotels, shopping centers, and gas stations. Of these public charging ports, approximately 2,000 will be DC fast charge and 600 will be Level 2. The Illinois EPA plans to release more detailed information soon on the CEJA EV Chargers Round 2 funding awards.

Specific locations for the newly opened chargers are below. For more information on the Driving a Cleaner Illinois program and to sign up for the Illinois EPA’s EV listserv to stay up to date on the latest opportunities, visit https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/air-quality/driving-a-cleaner-illinois.html.