The Illinois Department of Transportation recently opened the state’s first electric vehicle or EV charging station in Casey, IL, built with funds from the federal National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure or NEVI program; a program established by the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act or IIJA in 2021.
[Above photo by Illinois DOT]
The NEVI program aims to accelerate the adoption of EVs by providing public access to EV charging locations along interstates, local roadways, and scenic byways.
The Casey EV charging site – located at the Mach 1 station on Illinois 49 near I-70 – features four DC fast chargers, made possible through a $854,641 competitive grant to Phillips 66, in collaboration with Meyer Oil and Electrify America. Additional NEVI-funded EV charging station locations are expected to open this summer, Illinois DOT noted.
“These new chargers are an important step forward in making the governor’s EV goals a reality, while creating economic opportunity by connecting Illinois communities to a national network of stations,” said Gia Biagi, Illinois DOT secretary, in a statement.
“Some of the strongest interest we’re seeing for electric vehicle charging is coming from rural areas that see the benefit of having travelers stop in their towns to charge up and spend their dollars at local stores and businesses,” she added. “We look forward to adding many more throughout the state in the weeks and months ahead.”
Illinois DOT also said it issued $23.5 million via the third round of NEVI funding awards to support the construction of 29 new EV charging stations equipped with 140 individual charging ports.
Through the first three rounds of NEVI program awards in Illinois, the agency has conditionally issued $67.2 million to help build 91 EV charging stations that in total provided 489 individual EV charging ports.
Illinois DOT added that it recently wrapped up the application period for Round Four of the state’s NEVI grant program, with a notice of funding opportunity for approximately $30 million. Selected locations that will receive those funds should be announced by the end of August, the agency said.
State departments of transportation are also expanding EV charging infrastructure using different programs as well.
For example, the Oregon Department of Transportation noted that – as of July this year – the Community Charging Rebates program has awarded $10.9 million to help fund 1,915 Level 2 EV charging ports among 347 charging stations statewide. About half of those stations are installed and open for use, while the rest are in the planning or construction phases, the agency noted in a statement.
The rebate program reimburses some of the project costs of buying and installing Level 2 EV charging stations at multifamily homes, workplaces, and publicly accessible parking, Oregon DOT added.
And the Oklahoma Department of Transportation recently began seeking proposals from companies that can support the continued development of EV charging infrastructure along designated alternative fuel corridors in the state. Proposals are due by August 25, the agency noted.
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