Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) Acting Director James Jenning announced a Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) EV Charging Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) to facilitate the procurement and installation of new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) Level 3 charging stations and Level 2 alternating current charging stations.
The funding is made possible by Governor Pritzker’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan for EV projects authorized under CEJA. The program will fund charging stations at publicly accessible locations throughout Illinois on a first-come, first-served basis.
Applications for Level 3 chargers will require a minimum of two charging station locations. The NOFO will provide funding for up to eight DCFC ports per location, whereas there is no limit on the number of funded Level 2 ports for one site.
Eligible applicants include those who own the proposed charging station site and/or the station itself. Each application must meet a minimum score to be considered, with scoring factors such as project readiness, whether the location is in a county where the Illinois EPA has not previously funded projects, proximity to existing public EV charging sites, and whether the site is located at a public transportation Park-and-Ride facility.
Additional funding will be provided to projects located in areas identified as Equity Investment Eligible Communities.
“Governor Pritzker has prioritized electrification of the transportation sector to improve air quality and benefit the health of our residents,” said Acting Director Jennings, in a statement. “To support that priority, we are committed to expanding the charging infrastructure necessary to power current and future electric vehicles throughout Illinois.”
The funding round will begin accepting applications on Monday, November 17.
Read more here.