With nearly half a million dollars of state funding, a significant milestone was reached on Monday as a brand new electric vehicle charging station opened its doors in Joliet. This marks the first of hundreds of charging stations that are set to be installed over the next 18 months as part of a state-funded grant program. The growth in chargers is of utmost importance as Illinois strives to make a rapid transition towards having a larger number of electric vehicle drivers. As of last week, there were approximately 120,000 EVs on Illinois roads, while the state's goal is to have 1 million on the road by 2030.

State Funding and Grant Programs

So far, over $25 million in state infrastructure funding has been awarded to various entities such as gas stations, hotels, governments, and other organizations to finance the installation of new EV charging stations. Another funding round of up to $44 million is currently in the process of being awarded, with more grants expected in the future. This round of funding is expected to add about 2,000 new ports, which is equivalent to the electric version of gas pumps. According to data from the U.S. Department of Energy, this would represent a roughly 47% increase in the number of charging ports around the state. Gov. JB Pritzker emphasized on Monday that there will be a charging station "along every highway, every 50 miles."The Joliet chargers, constructed by Veterans Energy Team in partnership with the Joliet Park District, are the first chargers to open after being funded as part of the state's Rebuild Illinois capital funding and authorized by the 2021 Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. "Reducing air pollution from transportation is crucial for a healthy future for our children and our planet," Pritzker stated in a Monday news release. "Today, you can see the result of that vision with the first deployment of a CEJA-funded electric vehicle charging port, thanks to the support of our federal partners and utility companies."Veterans Energy Team received a $480,000 grant to install 12 charging ports across two locations in the city, and an additional four ports were added using other funding.Proponents of the EV charging grant program believe that it not only helps meet clean energy policy goals but also creates more jobs and opportunities. "Illinois is filled with great union workers and private sector workers who can install these things," CEJA chief sponsor Rep. Marcus Evans, D-Chicago, said at a Monday news conference announcing the charging station. "We're going to install these chargers all over, in every community, so that when you're driving your electric car, you won't have to get it towed."CEJA codified the state's goal of completely transitioning away from fossil fuels by 2050 and boosting the growth of the electric vehicle market, which has led to the need to rapidly expand charging infrastructure."To achieve those goals, we know we will need to accelerate the build-out of a widespread network of public chargers," Gil Quiniones, CEO of electric utility Commonwealth Edison, said at the Monday news conference.ComEd provides electric service for most of northern Illinois, a region that is home to about 90% of EVs in the state. The company also provided funds for the Joliet project through its rebate program for EV chargers. That program is part of the company's "beneficial electrification plan" - a CEJA-mandated outline of how the utility will support the state's clean energy goals.While ComEd did not disclose the size of the Joliet project's rebate, EV charging projects are eligible for up to $500,000 in rebates. Earlier this year, ComEd announced $90 million in available rebates related to electric vehicles through its beneficial electrification programs, according to ComEd spokesperson Lauren Huffman.In addition to CEJA funding, there are other sources of grant money for charging stations that the state distributes, such as money from a legal settlement with Volkswagen over emission standards and federal grant programs.

EVs by the Numbers

While the state's grants for chargers are only now starting to yield completed projects, tax rebates for individuals buying EVs have been available for several years. These credits, along with federal incentives dating back more than a decade and broader consumer trends, have led to a rapid growth in EV registrations in Illinois. Since November 2017, the number of EVs registered in Illinois has grown by about 1,400%, according to data from the secretary of state. However, over the same period, the number of EV charging ports only grew by about 600%, according to U.S. Department of Energy data.Globally, the average number of light-duty electric vehicles per charging port is about 11, with the U.S. having a higher 26 cars-per-port ratio, mainly due to home charging being more popular in the country, according to a 2024 report from the International Energy Agency.In Illinois, a Capitol News Illinois analysis of federal and state data found that there are about 31 EVs per charging port, including both light-duty and larger vehicles like buses. This is higher than in 2017, when there were 15 vehicles per port. This indicates that more vehicles are competing for charging spots, even as more stations have been opened.The number of charging stations has grown slightly slower than the number of ports as stations increasingly offer multiple ports, but both lag behind overall EV adoption.While the state is working hard to keep up with the pace of charging port installations, another trend has emerged in Illinois: The number of new EV registrations has slowed down, mirroring a broader slowdown in the EV market across the country. The net increase in EV registrations over the past 12 months fell by about 9.1%. Although this may seem small, prior to this year, the state was just on track to meet its million EV goal by 2030. If the current year-over-year pace continues, the state would fall short by almost 200,000 vehicle registrations.Capitol News Illinois is a nonprofit, nonpartisan news service that distributes state government coverage to hundreds of news outlets statewide. It is funded primarily by the Illinois Press Foundation and the Robert R. McCormick Foundation.