ComEd today (Sept 3) joined Illinois Governor JB Pritzker to present a $45,000 electric vehicle (EV) rebate check to the Village of Skokie, helping provide funding to electrify the Village's municipal fleet. Skokie is one of the first municipalities to receive a rebate through ComEd's beneficial electrification (BE) plan, supported by the state's Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which is designed to accelerate the adoption of all-electric technologies.
Funding for fleet EVs and related infrastructure is an essential step to reducing barriers to EV adoption and supports a state goal of achieving 1 million EVs on Illinois roadways by 2030. Today, with more than 111,000 registered EVs in Illinois, the vast majority of them, nearly 90 percent, are located in the ComEd service region of northern Illinois.
"Reaching our state's EV goals requires more than just individual consumer choices it means municipalities, school districts, and other organizations also commit to EVs as we fundamentally reassess the landscape of clean transportation in Illinois," said Governor JB Pritzker. "Initiatives like ComEd's rebate program for municipal fleets make this sort of large-scale change possible, and I'm grateful for their partnership in working towards this goal."
ComEd EV rebate programs, launched earlier this year, are making a significant impact in helping communities adopt EVs, with the programs deploying more than $9 million in rebates to customers to date, and with half of the funds provided to equity investment eligible communities (EIEC), as defined by the state of Illinois, or for low-income customers, both of which are prioritized for funding in ComEd's programs.
Since ComEd EV rebate programs launched in February, the company has incentivized the addition of over 1,600 new residential and commercial charging ports and 109 new fleet vehicles, including more than a dozen heavy-duty vehicles and buses, and with EV projects funded in nearly 300 unique zip codes in northern Illinois, ComEd's service region. Over this same time period, the percentage of monthly EV registrations in the region have doubled, outpacing the national rate.
"As more customers take advantage of our EV rebate programs, it will lower carbon emissions and improve air quality in our communities," said ComEd President and CEO Gil Quiniones. "Working with the state of Illinois and partners across the region, ComEd is not only delivering unparalleled, nation-leading reliability, we're also helping communities like Skokie chart a path toward a cleaner, more sustainable future."
With the help of the $45,000 ComEd rebate, Skokie purchased six municipal fleet vehicles, a key component of their push to electrify and reduce carbon emissions. ComEd funding for Skokie electrification projects will serve EIECs specifically, and further the plans outlined in the Village's Environmental Sustainability Plan, adopted in 2022, which includes goals for dramatically reducing carbon emissions.
"With support from ComEd and the State of Illinois, Skokie is leading the charge on municipal adoption of electric vehicles, helping the Village reduce fleet emissions and save money on vehicle purchases and maintenance," said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen. "More than 1,000 EVs are now on the road in Skokie, including a growing number of our municipal fleet vehicles, putting the Village on the way to achieving the ambitious emissions reduction goals outlined in our Environmental Sustainability Plan and paving the way to cleaner air benefitting our entire community."
Skokie is making rapid progress in expanding EVs, with four public charging stations and five municipal fleet ports added to date, and additional charging ports planned over the next year. Additionally, Skokie this year became the first community to partner with ComEd on a fleet electrification assessment, and to participate in the ComEd and Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (MMC) EV Readiness Program, earning a certification in December 2023. Both efforts will help prepare the community to further expand EV implementation and support increased EV adoption in the years ahead.
"A key reason for the EV Readiness Program is to help municipalities prepare for rapidly emerging investment in EVs and EV charging infrastructure," said Kevin Burns, Mayor of the City of Geneva and Executive Board Chairman and Environment and Energy Committee Chairman of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. "This preparation paid off for Skokie with ComEd rebates for six new electric vehicles."
With transportation the number one contributor of carbon and other harmful emissions in the U.S. today, electrifying transportation, including cars and public transit, can create tangible health benefits for all communities and families across northern Illinois. EVs play a role in curbing emissions, while also helping lower operations and maintenance costs for their users. The transition to transportation electrification results in less pollution and enhanced air quality for all communities and residents, even those who choose not to drive an EV.
"Chicagoland saw the worst air quality in the world last summer because of global warming-driven wildfire smoke combined with the emissions from millions of vehicles in our region," said Brian Urbaszewski, Director of Environmental Health Programs at Respiratory Health Association. "More electric vehicles on our roads means less air pollution and fewer asthma attacks, doctor visits and respiratory hospital admissions. This saves lives."
EV benefits carry additional impact for communities historically impacted by pollution or disinvestment. For this reason, ComEd's rebate programs prioritize equity, reserving at least half of all funds for EIECs or low-income customers, with rebates available in a higher amount for customers residing in or doing business within these communities.
ComEd EV funding programs are still accepting applications and will run through end of 2025. Additionally, ComEd recently put forward expanded investments for EVs, continuing many of the same transportation electrification rebates offered in the first plan, to expand those investments for customers in 2026-2028. That plan would offer an additional $60 million a year for beneficial electrification investments and is currently under review by the Illinois Commerce Commission.
In addition to EV rebates, ComEd offers customers a free resource to guide them on their EV journey, the EV Toolkit, available at www.ComEd.com/EV. The EV Toolkit can be used to review state, federal and local rebates and incentives available for EVs, to plug in information for a cost savings assessment, to review various EV models and chargers, and more. Business and public sector customers who are still exploring their options and wondering if EVs make sense for their operations can request a free Fleet Electrification Assessment from ComEd to help you plan for your transition and uncover the benefits of going electric. Business and Public Sector customers can also apply for a reservation of funds through the ComEd Make Ready Rebate program, provided their project is scheduled to be completed within six months of making their reservation. The reservation application is available here.
For more on the current ComEd BE rebates application and eligibility, please visit www.ComEd.com/clean.
