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Loop parking garages to add 300 EV charging stations with funding from ComEd

By Catherine Odom
Published  October 3, 2023 6:43am CDT
Loop
Sun-Times Media Wire

Electric vehicle charging stations coming to Illinois State Parks

Coming soon to a state park near you: electric vehicle charging stations.

CHICAGO - More than 22,500 electric vehicles are registered in Cook County, up from around 14,000 this time last year.

Commonwealth Edison has partnered with Millennium Garages to offer more EV charging stations for the growing number of drivers going electric.

Millennium Garages, which has over 9,000 parking spaces across four garages in the Loop, has committed to installing 300 chargers in its facilities by 2026.

On Tuesday, ComEd and Millennium Garages highlighted the nearly 100 Level 2 chargers that have already been installed in the facility, a news release stated. Level 2 chargers can charge an EV from zero to 80% in a few hours.

Millennium Garages is home to the Midwest’s largest public EV charging hub.

ComEd awarded $200,000 in incentives to Millennium Garages to support sustainability and clean energy initiatives, including the new chargers, the release stated.

"ComEd is committed to working with customers and our partners from across the state to accelerate the adoption of EVs," said Melissa Washington, the utility’s senior vice president for customer operations and chief customer officer, in a statement.

The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which was signed into law in September 2021, introduced rebates for Illinoisans who bought electric cars and motorcycles. The law stated Illinois’ goal is to have 1 million EVs on the road by 2030. Since Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it into law, the number of EVs in Cook County has more than doubled.

Despite the rising numbers and statewide incentives encouraging Illinoisans to switch to EVs, some parts of Chicago are still lacking charger access.

Millennium Garages will offer a range of charger types, including EVPassport, ChargePoint, FlashParking and Tesla, the release stated.

Jamie Ponce, Millennium Garages’ chief innovation and strategy officer, said in a statement that the company is "proud to expand charging access for local residents, commuters, visitors and fleets."

The expansion of this downtown charging hub is part of an effort to reduce emissions and pollution, the news release stated.

Harold Wimmer, the president and CEO of the American Lung Association, praised the expansion and said the EV transition will help improve air quality for Illinois residents.

Tom Carney, the acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transit, also expressed his support for the new chargers in the Millennium Garages.

"The expansion of the Midwest’s largest public EV charging hub at Millennium Garages complements the city’s ongoing efforts to build out EV infrastructure," Carney said in a statement.