Illinois secures $7.1M to upgrade EV chargers statewide amid cold-weather woes

CHICAGO - The Illinois Department of Transportation has been granted $7.1 million in federal funds to enhance and repair public electric vehicle chargers statewide, aligning with Governor JB Pritzker's goal of 1 million EVs in Illinois by 2030.

This comes after EV owners faced charging issues earlier this week as frigid weather — well below zero degrees — plagued the Chicago area.

"Nothing. No juice. Still on zero percent," said Tyler Beard, who had been trying to recharge his Tesla at an Oak Brook Tesla supercharging station since Sunday afternoon. "And this is like three hours being out here after being out here three hours yesterday."

Beard was among the dozens of EV owners trying desperately to power up their cars around the Chicago area.

"This is crazy. It’s a disaster. Seriously," said Tesla owner Chalis Mizelle.

Illinois Transportation Secretary Omer Osman says the new investment announced Friday aims to improve charging station reliability and accessibility throughout the state.

"Under Gov. Pritzker, IDOT is committed to modernizing transportation and expanding green practices. This award is an important step in that direction," Osman said in a statement.

The grant will be utilized to repair, replace, or upgrade about 93 Level 2 ports and 34 Direct Current Fast Charging ports at various locations across Illinois. A detailed list of locations can be found on IDOT’s website.

Meanwhile, a popular YouTube car reviewer is weighing in on the electric vehicle charging issues that occurred in the bitter cold temperatures.

Kyle Conner, who boasts millions of views online and is known for his extensive reviews of electric and gas vehicles, flew to Chicago earlier this week after watching FOX 32's report on the EV charging problems.

"I think it's really important, and I think you guys would agree with me, that we can't just write off that negative news story as an anti-EV piece. There are problems here. Whether the problems are with the cars, or with the infrastructure, or with customer education, there are problems, I would argue, on all sides. Mostly on the education side," he said.

Conner visited fast-charging stations around Chicagoland and found that Tesla's chargers seemed to have recovered from the cold issues. However, the situation for non-Teslas was still challenging, with several stations – even days after the worst of the cold snap – having charging equipment that didn't work, Conner said.

According to Conner, Chicago's already strained EV charging network faced compounding issues due to extreme cold leading to higher energy consumption and longer charging times. Additionally, fewer working chargers and more rideshare drivers needing to plug in their rented EVs created a perfect storm.

"The issues in Chicago go beyond cold weather. Your infrastructure, the people who are driving EVs, the rideshare problem, this has all been happening already," Conner said.

He emphasized that the problems were avoidable, suggesting that the ideal solution is for EV drivers to install a charger where they live. For those unable to do so or away from home, Conner provided tips to avoid charging problems in cold weather:

• Pre-condition your car's battery on your way to the fast charger. A warm battery charges faster. The method varies by car model, so read the owner's manual.
• If you plug in a cold car and don't see it taking a charge, the charger isn't necessarily broken. If the car is drawing some current, it's warming up the battery. It could take some time until it can move more energy into the car.
• If you can't find a working fast charger, use the PlugShare app to find a slower, Level 2 stall, as a slow charge is better than no charge.

In a related development, Governor Pritzker just last week announced the Illinois Finance Authority will receive $14.9 million to support the construction of new charging stations to expand the charging network statewide, fill in gaps, and enhance service to disadvantaged communities.