Contact: Noah Barnes, Electrification Coalition
nbarnes@electrificationcoalition.org, (202) 461-2371
SPRINGFIELD, ILL. — The Electrification Coalition (EC) applauds the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) for submitting its National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) state plan to the federal Joint Office of Energy and Transportation.
The Illinois Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Deployment Plan begins the critical process of administering the funding awarded to the state through the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law. The state is eligible to receive $22 million of NEVI funding in 2022 and $149 million over the life of the program. This is a monumental investment in the state’s electric transportation future as a leader in EV manufacturing and deployment, specifically the goal of 1 million passenger EVs on Illinois roads by 2030.
Enacting this plan, Illinois will support the next generation of transportation through charging station installation and operation, and, in doing so, will begin to achieve state transportation goals of economy, livability, mobility, resiliency and stewardship. The EC commends Illinois for developing an ambitious deployment plan to provide convenient, accessible, reliable, and equitable EV charging across the state.
The plan includes preliminary feedback from dozens of stakeholders including public and private sector actors, such as non-profit and community advocacy groups, municipalities, planning organizations, state agencies, academic institutions, utilities and more. The EC applauds Illinois’s commitment to ongoing community engagement through its unique, interactive website gathering resident feedback, questions, and suggestions for potential charging station locations.
This investment, with ongoing stakeholder engagement and support, should seek to increase EV and charging availability for rural communities, as well as foster economic development by enabling EV travel throughout the state. Illinois’s NEVI plan will maximize benefits to rural and underserved communities, in alignment with the Justice40 Initiative.
“By submitting this deployment plan, Illinois is taking strong steps in the direction of greater EV infrastructure access to all who live, work and drive in the Prairie State,” said Aaron Viles, director of campaigns for the EC. “We are glad to support transportation electrification projects and policies in Illinois, and are excited to see IDOT, ICC, IEPA, DCEO and more collaborating around the goal of increased EV adoption, increased community benefits of transportation electrification and reduced dependence on oil and the associated national and economic security risks.”
“We urge Illinois leaders to support strong policies and leadership to truly rise to the occasion of this historic EV moment,” said Viles. “Robust, supplementary policies, beyond just those listed in the state plan, are crucial in facilitating the widespread adoption of EVs.”
To maintain a thriving Illinois economy, and maximize the community benefits of transportation electrification, the EC urges the following policy actions:
- Prepare for medium- and heavy-duty electrification. Current funding opportunities present a unique opportunity to plan for transportation needs beyond light-duty vehicles. Illinois should sign on in support of the NESCAUM medium- and heavy-duty MOU, and adopt key policies laid out in the recently released action plan which would allow the state to set and meet electrification goals across all vehicle types.
- Electrify the state fleet. 100% of the State of Illinois’s fleet should be transitioned to zero-emission vehicles while supporting state electrification goals, this policy leads from the front and sets the precedent for electrifying other public, and private, fleets in the state.
- Adopt a clean fuels standard. To decrease the use of oil in Illinois and increase the use of domestically produced power to move the state’s transportation sector, the state should enact a clean fuel policy to promote electrification.
- Continue elevated regional coordination. Illinois’s efforts to align with other Midwest states through the Regional Electric Vehicle Midwest Coalition (REV Midwest) will advance a more reliable charging network for medium and heavy-duty vehicles throughout the partner states of Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota and Wisconsin.
With over a decade of experience developing and deploying cutting-edge tools and resources to support the mass adoption of electric vehicles, the EC is a trusted partner supporting states, local governments, and communities across the country with the policies and projects to drive our electric transportation future. The EC is ready to build on its work in Illinois to support the efficient, effective, and equitable deployment of charging infrastructure through the NEVI state plan.
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About the Electrification Coalition: The Electrification Coalition is a nonpartisan, nonprofit organization that advances policies and actions to facilitate the widespread deployment of electric vehicles in order to overcome the economic, public health, and national security challenges that stem from America’s dependence on oil. For more information, visit electrificationcoalition.org.