The nation’s first federally funded electric vehicle infrastructure project is officially underway starting in the Joliet/Will County Chicagoland area.
The nation’s electric vehicle industry was kicked off in Illinois with the announcement of the availability of Federal funding and tax credits through the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act in a ceremony at the Lion Electric vehicle manufacturing facility in Channahon on Monday.
“What it means is that drivers with electric cars, trucks and buses will soon be able to find a place to recharge their vehicles anywhere in the country, starting with Illinois” said Rep. Lauren Underwood (IL-14).
Congressional representatives Sean Casten (Il.-6), Lauren Underwood (IL-14) and officials from Lion Electric, the EPA joined state and federal officials in heralding the new funding to expand electric infrastructure.
“Illinois has the workforce and the innovation
to lead the clean transportation revolution,” said Rep. Casten. “This can become the economic hub of EV manufacturing and technology in this part of the country.”
The impact of the new funding will be far-reaching; from EV auto manufacturing Lion Electric and Rivian, to battery technology research at Argonne National Laboratory, to the training of next-generation skilled workers to build and install new electrical infrastructure.
“They were initially talking about sending this project to a southern state, not realizing that we have the skilled labor right here in Illinois and that you don’t have to look elsewhere in the United States, said Rep. Bill Foster (IL-11).
“This area of Illinois is really set to be the primary leader in the EV sector of the economy. We are developing a number of new businesses, both big and small, that are open to utilizing new technologies. That, combined with our proximity to Chicago, makes us a primary target for growth, said Rep Foster.
The new Joint Energy and Transportation Office and DriveElectric.gov will assist in Illinois Electric Vehicle infrastructure development plans. The State of Illinois will receive $21 million to begin the work. Another $5 billion will be provided to states over the next five years to create a network of EV charging stations with designated Alternative Fuel corridors, along the Interstate Highway System. The total amount available in fiscal year 2022 is $615 billion.
Gov. Pritzker signed the Reimagining Electric Vehicles Act (REV) in to law in October 2021. It provided incentives to make Illinois a premiere location for EV production. It also created incentives for consumers to buy electric vehicles and for private companies to install charging stations and to manufacture components vital to the EV industry like batteries.
Lion Electric is poised to put additional electric school buses on the road and to create more than 1,400 clean manufacturing jobs over the next four years. Its Joliet facility will be the largest dedicated medium and heavy-duty electric vehicle manufacturing plant in the US, creating at least 20,000 all-electric buses and trucks a year.