EV Ready program helps local governments
prepare for the growing demand for EVs in Illinois
ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (Caucus) today
celebrated the first class of communities to complete the EV
Readiness Program, created to help local governments prepare for
the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and charging infrastructure
across northern Illinois. In total, 12 diverse municipalities were
recognized at an awards event for their work to achieve the
designation of “EV Ready Community.” Through the program,
communities have taken steps to develop permitting for EV charging
infrastructure, conduct training for local staff, and implement
plans that engage the community and ensure a safe integration of
zero-emissions vehicles.
"ComEd is committed to working with communities across the state
and the region to accelerate the adoption of EVs – which are proven
to lower emissions and create cleaner air for our communities,”
said Louie Binswanger, ComEd Senior Vice President of
Governmental Regulatory and External Affairs. “We are
proud to partner with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus on the EV
Readiness program, which recognizes the crucial role our municipal
partners play in our move to a clean energy economy.
Congratulations to the first 12 municipalities for taking action to
shape a more sustainable future and for putting us closer to
achieving our clean transportation goals.”
The EV Readiness program was launched by ComEd and the Caucus
last year to help prepare municipalities to accommodate the growing
number of EVs in Illinois, sparked in large part to the Climate and
Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which includes a goal of adding one
million EVs by 2030. Today, nearly 88,000 EVs are registered in
Illinois, with nearly 78,000 in northern Illinois, up from roughly
53,000 in northern Illinois in 2022.
“Illinois’s electric vehicle manufacturing and adoption are
booming and initiatives like the EV Readiness program help put our
state further down the road to a clean energy future,” said
Governor JB Pritzker. “These communities have built out an
infrastructure that eases the process of buying and owning a
zero-emission vehicle, and I’m grateful to ComEd and to all the
local leaders who worked to make these designations possible.”
Twelve municipalities have been designated an EV Ready Community
through the program. They include:
- Carol Stream
- Darien
- Deer Park
- Geneva
- Glencoe
- Hampshire
- Hanover Park
- Maywood
- Oak Park
- Polo
- Skokie
- University Park
“Urban or rural, big or small – diverse communities are
demonstrating that they have what it takes to be EV ready,” said
Kevin Burns, Mayor of the City of Geneva and Executive Board
Chairman and Environment Committee Chairman of the Metropolitan
Mayors Caucus. “Working in partnership with ComEd, the EV
Readiness Program is guiding municipalities to craft smart and
effective local policies that will promote a seamless and equitable
EV integration across our region.”
Municipalities in the program were required to complete several
core “EV Readiness Actions” including updated zoning codes to
support new charging infrastructure, new permitting and inspection
processes aligned with state and national standards to guide safe
installation of charging equipment, and training for first
responders on incidents involving EVs. EV Ready Communities also
created online EV resources to educate residents and businesses
about EVs. The EV Readiness Program will also serve as a model for
a new multi-state program funded by the US Department of Energy and
led by the Interstate Renewable Energy Council to prepare
municipalities for transportation electrification.
“The dedication demonstrated by these communities in embracing
the electric vehicle future exemplifies the spirit of innovation
and progress that drives Illinois forward,” said U.S. Senator
Dick Durbin (D-IL). “That’s why I worked to secure $500,000 for
the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus municipal EV readiness project. I
commend the efforts of local leaders, businesses, and community
members who have come together to make this vision a reality, and
look forward to witnessing more communities across Illinois and the
nation move towards a greener tomorrow.”
The EV Readiness Program is guided by a comprehensive EV
Readiness Checklist of 131 possible municipal actions. The program
was developed by a coalition of over 70 regional partners including
local mayors, managers, and other local government staff members,
as well as representatives from councils of governments, regional
planning organizations, Argonne National Laboratory, EV charging
station companies, IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical
Workers), and ComEd.
To earn the title of EV Ready Community, local governments were
required to meet at least “Bronze” level designation on the
checklist, with at least 27 activities fulfilled. To reach Silver
or Gold status, participating communities had to complete
additional activities. Oak Park is the only community in this
cohort awarded the Gold designation.
"To achieve the goals laid out in our Climate Ready Oak Park
plan, which include a 60 percent reduction of greenhouse gas
emissions by 2030, Oak Park is working to establish policies that
will accelerate EV adoption in our community,” said Oak Park
Village President Vicki Scaman. “Achieving the EV Ready
gold standard underscores the actions we've taken to lower
emissions in transportation and support cleaner air for our
community."
The program is also helping municipalities integrate EV charging
infrastructure into plans for future growth - with Oak Park, Deer
Park, University Park and Darien all recently adopting local
policies designed to increase EV charging in new construction
projects.
“To realize equitable EV Readiness across the region, all
communities should have the opportunity to innovate and
collaborate,” said Elizabeth Scott, Village Manager, Village of
University Park. “Working with other municipalities, the Caucus
and ComEd in the EV Readiness Program helped our village best
target our limited resources to programs and policies that will
bring the benefits of EVs to the Village of University Park and
Chicago’s Southland.”
“We joined the first cohort of communities working together to
earn EV Readiness one year ago. At the time, we planned to get our
zoning codes and permitting processes ready for the future increase
in electric vehicles in our City,” said Sydney Bartelt, City
Clerk of the City of Polo. “Just one year later, we installed
our first public EV charging station and have seen electric vehicle
registrations increase 400%. We are so glad to be an EV Ready
Community!”
The EV Readiness program launched last year with support from
ComEd and will continue to serve qualifying communities through the
next two years as part of ComEd’s investment to expand
electrification announced earlier this year. To remove barriers to
EV and other high efficiency technologies for more customers in the
region, ComEd’s plans include investments in education, like this
program, as well as a series of rebates, make ready infrastructure
and pilot studies next year with a goal of alleviating upfront
costs and increasing widespread EV and fleet adoption over the next
three years.
To learn more on the benefits of EVs, and how ComEd can support
your electrification project, please visit
www.comed.com/cleanenergy. To learn about participating in the EV
Readiness Program, please visit the Caucus' website.
About ComEd
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ:
EXC), a Fortune 250 energy company with approximately 10 million
electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of
customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million
customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s
population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with
the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.
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