Illinois EPA grant to fund installation of EV charging ports at Holiday Inn, JWCC

CAMP POINT, Ill. — Adams Electric Cooperative is one of 20 companies that will be receiving grants to help install electric vehicle charging infrastructure under the Driving a Cleaner Illinois program.

Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) Director John J. Kim announced Wednesday that $25.1 million will fund 643 new direct current fast charging (DCFC) ports at 141 locations throughout the state. Adams Electric will receive $277,814 to install four Level 3 DCFC charging ports at both John Wood Community College, 1301 S. 48^th, and the Holiday Inn, 4821 Oak.

Jim Thompson, general manager for Adams Electric, said the charging ports will be the first installed by Adams Electric. Both the Holiday Inn and JWCC are Adams Electric customers. He said the grants are expected to cover 80 percent of the cost of the installations.

“When this grant (opportunity) came through the IEPA, we threw our name in the hat and thought it would be good for the Holiday Inn,” Thompson said. “They’ve got people staying there overnight. John Wood Community College was another key account that we certainly thought probably would be a good location as well.”

Thompson said applying for the grants was a look to the future.

“The vendors and car dealers are all moving in that direction, going to all EVs,” he said. “We just wanted to get some experience into it and get ahead of the game. I thought it was a good opportunity, especially since 80 percent of it is paid for by the IEPA.”

The charging ports need to be installed by 2030, but Thompson said he would like for them to be installed by the end of this year.

A press release from the state said the grants were made possible through Gov. JB Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan and authorized under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA). Illinois EPA awarded $12.6 million in 2023 in Volkswagen Settlement funding for more than 300 new EV fast charging ports.

“In Illinois, we’re strategically turning our vision for a clean energy future into a reality,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in the press release. “Thanks to recent grant awards, my administration will double the number of publicly available fast charging ports — putting us one step closer to our goal of reaching 100 percent clean energy by 2050.”

“Through these grants, Illinois will increase the number of fast charging ports by more than 100 percent, resulting in nearly 1,000 more fast charging ports available for Illinois’ EV motorists and visitors,” Kim said in the press release. “This is significant progress in building out EV charging infrastructure throughout Illinois, with more opportunities on the way.”

These awards fund DCFC charging stations at publicly accessible locations (shopping centers, retail stores, gas stations, hotels, etc.) across the state. 

The Illinois EPA also recently announced another round of EV charging funding through the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which includes the same eligible private-sector applicants and Level 3 DCFC Chargers, while also opening eligibility to units of local government and Level 2 chargers. 

Applications are due May 10. More information about Round 2 is available at https://epa.illinois.gov/topics/air-quality/driving-a-cleaner-illinois.html.