An electric vehicle (EV) charges at a DC Fast Charger station in Illinois. The Caucus was awarded nearly $14.5 million in grant funds to install 196 EV charging stations and one compressed natural gas fueling station in the region.

Funding will support 196 EV charging stations and one CNG fueling station at 96 sites in 34 communities

CHICAGO (Jan. 13, 2025) – The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus (Caucus) will be awarded $14,471,562 for its Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) grant application by the U.S. Department of Transportation. The funding will support the planning, procurement, installation, and five-year servicing of 196 electric vehicle (EV) charging stations with a total of 389 ports and one compressed natural gas (CNG) fueling station. The public, accessible stations will be installed at 96 project sites in 34 diverse communities throughout the Chicago region at priority locations that will fill gaps in equitable access to charging and fueling.

“We are thrilled to receive this CFI grant, which will expand equitable access to EV charging, help to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the region, and improve community resilience,” said City of Geneva Mayor Kevin Burns, Caucus Environment and Energy Committee Chairman, and Immediate Past Executive Board Chairman. “We are also proud of this accomplishment because this is the largest competitive, federal grant the Caucus has received in its history.”

Of the 196 EV charging stations in the Caucus’ application, Aggregated Community Charging for the Chicago Metropolitan Region, 181 are Level 2 charging stations and 15 are DC Fast Chargers (DCFCs), which can charge vehicles in as little as 20 minutes. The one proposed CNG fueling station will source a significant portion of its fuel from renewable natural gas (RNG) sources and will serve medium- and heavy-duty fleets in the area.

The stations will be located at publicly accessible facilities, such as village/city hall, municipally owned parking facilities, other municipal facilities, and in proximity to priority locations like multi-family housing, health care facilities, workplaces, recreational facilities, retail and multi-modal centers.

Additional details about the communities and projects in the Caucus’ application include:

  • Twenty-eight of the 34 communities that will be installing chargers are considered environmental justice communities (EJC) using the U.S. EPA EJScreen tool or contain low-income, disadvantaged communities (LIDAC) census blocks. Project submissions were identified as EJC and LIDAC to prioritize them for investment in support of Justice40 goals.
  • Eighteen of the communities have either completed the Caucus’ EV Readiness Program or are currently enrolled in the program. The program is a unique initiative to help local governments prepare to meet the growing demand for EVs and EV charging infrastructure. Communities in the EV Readiness Program receive technical assistance that enables them to streamline policies and implement best practices for safe and effective regional transportation electrification.
  • Thirty-two of the 34 communities have adopted the Caucus’ Greenest Region Compact consensus sustainability goals, which include the clean transportation goals to support efficient transportation that uses resources wisely and to operate a clean, safe, and efficient fleet.
  • Sixty-eight percent of projects will serve multi-family dwellings with a low ratio of parking spaces to households. These residents may not otherwise have access to EV charging.
  • Thirty-seven percent of the projects will support fleet charging or fueling.
  • Twenty-six percent of the projects offer access to Metra or other transit, which allows safe, affordable intermodal connections.
  • Local government partners on the project are prepared to provide at least a 20% local match to supplement this federal investment.

To view the full list of 49 selected Round 2 CFI applications from across the nation, go to: https://www.fhwa.dot.gov/environment/cfi/grant_recipients/round_2/.

About the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus
The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is a membership organization of the Chicago region’s 275 cities, towns and villages. Founded in 1997, the Caucus pushes past geographical boundaries and local interests to work on public policy issues. The organization provides a forum for metropolitan Chicago’s chief elected officials to collaborate on common problems and work toward a common goal of improving the quality of life for the millions of people who call the region home. For more information, visit mayorscaucus.org, and connect with the organization on Facebook, X (Twitter), LinkedIn and YouTube.