The EV Readiness Program first cohort stands with their awards after an award ceremony on Dec. 7, 2023.

The first twelve EV Readiness Program cohort communities received their “EV Ready” Community awards on Thursday, Dec. 7, 2023.

Working Collaboratively to Become EV Ready

To earn EV Ready Community Bronze, local governments must submit an EV Readiness (EVR) letter of commitment, complete 16 required Bronze actions, and earn 30 extra points of their choosing. The chart above also describes the requirements for earning Silver or Gold.

In the fall of 2022, the Caucus invited municipalities to participate in the new EV Readiness Program to prepare to meet the growing demand for electric vehicles (EVs) and EV charging infrastructure. Qualifying local governments applied to join an EV Readiness cohort and receive free technical assistance and training in a variety of critical areas as they work toward the designation of “EV Ready Community.”

Local government members of the EV Readiness cohorts follow a pathway toward EV Ready Bronze, Silver or Gold by completing a number of fundamental tasks presented in the EV Readiness Checklist. With guidance and resources assembled by the Caucus’ EV Readiness Team, municipal leaders develop clear permitting for EV charging infrastructure, analyze zoning and parking codes to address barriers to EV infrastructure, engage the community, and participate in technical and safety training for staff. Municipalities may also tailor actions to suit the needs of their own community.

This map shows where the EV Readiness Program first and second cohort communities are located. Click on the map to enlarge it.

The second, updated version of the EV Readiness Checklist was crafted over the course of six months with the help of the EV Ready Advisory Committee (EVRAC). Some 70 EVRAC members, including mayors, managers, and other local government staff members, as well as representatives from councils of governments, regional planning organizations, Argonne National Laboratory, EV charging station companies, IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), environmental and energy-focused nonprofit organizations, and economic development organizations, contributed nearly 350 hours during 18 meetings to create the robust EV Readiness Checklist and focused, priority pathways to earn Bronze, Silver or Gold EV Readiness.

In the fall of 2022, the Caucus opened the EV Readiness Program application to communities and asked them if they would like to join one of two cohorts. Communities completed an application in 2022 to be considered for the Program.

  1. The first learning cohort started in December 2022 and finished the program with an award ceremony in December 2023: Carol Stream, Darien, Deer Park, Geneva, Glencoe, Hampshire, Hanover Park, Maywood, Oak Park, Polo, Skokie, and University Park.
  2. The second cohort started in the summer of 2023 and includes Aurora, Batavia, Bensenville, Chicago, DuPage County, Elgin, Hickory Hills, Kane County, Montgomery, Richton Park, and Wilmette.

Interested communities can apply to the EV Readiness Program by Friday, Aug. 16th, to join the third cohort. Communities that have been on the waitlist may be given preference. Municipalities must adopt the Greenest Region Compact to participate. Find information and verify that your community has adopted the GRC here. Applicants must also provide a letter of commitment to work collaboratively through the EV Readiness Program. (The letter of commitment fulfills requirement CR-1 in the EV Readiness Checklist.) Cohorts are limited in size and equity will be considered in assembling the cohorts.ComEd logo

ComEd is the generous sponsor of the EV Readiness Program.

EV Readiness in the Greenest Region Compact and Climate Action Plan

The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus has an underlying interest in clean transportation because it relates to many of the consensus goals of the Greenest Region Compact (GRC):

Mobility icon from the Greenest Region CompactSupport efficient transportation that uses resources wisely.

Mobility icon from the Greenest Region CompactIntegrate sustainability into transportation policies, programs and regulations.

Municipal Operations icon from the Greenest Region CompactOperate a safe, clean, and efficient fleet.

In the Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region, the EV Readiness Program relates to the objective “decarbonize transportation” and the strategies, “Adapt development processes to accelerate investment in EV charging infrastructure,” and, “Transition fleets to low- and zero-emission vehicles.”

The EV Readiness Program will help guide strategic investment in EVs and EV charging infrastructure as expected grant funding becomes available. To find the latest information about clean transportation grants and incentives, sign up for the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) EV Listserv or the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation (IACT) e-newsletter.

Current funding for EVs includes the following:

  • For local governments and businesses: The federal Commercial Clean Vehicle Tax Credit provides a credit of up to $7,500 for eligible vehicles under 14,000 pounds and $40,000 for vehicles over that weight. Tax-exempt entities like local governments are eligible for the funds if they choose the direct pay, or elective pay, option. There is no limit on the number of credits your organization can claim.
  • For residents: CEJA authorized rebates for the purchase of EVs by Illinois residents. When a rebate cycle is open, residents may apply for a $4,000 rebate for purchasing an EV and a $1,500 rebate for buying an all-electric motorcycle. Low-income rebate applicants are prioritized. A rebate cycle is currently open through Jan. 31, 2024, but a notice on the IEPA website states that the number of applications received has surpassed the amount of available funding. For more details on the rebate program and to sign up for the IEPA EV Listserv, go to the IEPA Electric Vehicle Rebate Program webpage. Please note: Local governments are not eligible for these EV rebates. 

Future funding opportunities include:

  • Recent legislation may provide funding for EV charging stations.

    The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) stated that rebates or grants will be offered “to public and private organizations and companies to install and maintain Level 2 or Level 3 charging stations.” Up to 80% of the cost of installing a charging station may be funded. When an application for the program is available, it will be posted to the IEPA CEJA webpage.

  • The Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act (IIJA) established a National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Formula Program to provide funding to the states for EV charging infrastructure. NEVI includes $7.5 billion for EV charging nationwide: $5 billion for a formula program and $2.5 billion for a discretionary grant program. Illinois will receive approximately $148 million from 2022-2026 for the formula program. Initially, the formula funding will be directed to designated Alternative Fuel Corridors (e.g., I-80), but once the federal government certifies that IDOT has built out those corridors, then funding can be used for other areas. More information on this can be found at IDOT’s Drive Electric Illinois website, and you can sign up for emails about this by clicking on the blue “Share Your Feedback” button. (IDOT is only managing the formula program.) The federal government will run the $2.5 billion discretionary grant program.
  • ComEd launched its Beneficial Electrification (BE) Plan in August 2023, which includes $231 million for programs over three years to help customers make the transition to EVs and electrification.
  • The Caucus and ComEd have been partnering on the Powering Safe Communities grant program. The program provides grants of up to $10,000 for local public safety and electrification projects, including projects that support EV charging stations or the purchase of an EV. The grant application usually opens in January and closes in March. For more information, go to our Powering Safe Communities Program webpage.

Below are news stories about the EV Readiness Program:

Stemming from the GRC, the Caucus began its work with green fleets and wrote a white paper on the topic with the Municipal Fleet Managers Association. Then the Caucus pivoted from green fleets to EV infrastructure because of municipal interest and the likelihood of public investment. When the Caucus facilitated discussions on how to best spend the VW mitigation settlement funds, municipalities said they were interested in EVSE.

In 2021, the Caucus released the Climate Action Plan for the Chicago Region, which includes the objective to “decarbonize transportation.” Many of the strategies for decarbonizing transportation are aligned with the EV Readiness Program, including to “transition fleets to low- and zero-emission vehicles” and to “adapt development processes to accelerate investment in EV charging infrastructure.”

Battery electric vehicles will eventually outsell the traditional internal combustion engine, or gasoline-powered, vehicles.

Aside from local interest in EVs/EVSEs, there is a push for electrification on the policy side with CEJA in Illinois. CEJA sets the goal for Illinois to have 1 million EVs on the roads by 2030. As of mid-November 2023, there were 88,632 EVs registered with the Illinois Secretary of State. Environmental advocates have been promoting EVs as a solution for reducing greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. Market trends show that EVs will eventually outsell the traditional internal combustion engine vehicles, as seen in the graph from the BloombergNEF Electric Vehicle Outlook report. Part of the reason for the projected increase in EV sales is that the cost of EV batteries has been declining. Because vehicle maintenance costs less for EVs, there could be a time in the future when buying an electric passenger vehicle is more affordable than buying a gasoline-powered passenger vehicle.

Stay up-to-date with news and information on electrification and other clean transportation topics through the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation (IACT).

The EV Readiness Program has been created in two phases. In 2019, the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus received a grant from The Joyce Foundation to design Phase 1 of the Electric Vehicle (EV) Readiness Program. As part of the project, the Caucus:

At the listening sessions, the Caucus gathered input on municipalities’ considerations about EVs and EV charging stations. The listening sessions informed the creation of the first draft of the EV Readiness Checklist.

Two electric vehicles charge in a parking garage in Elmhurst.

Two electric vehicles charge in a parking garage in Elmhurst.

ComEd provided funding and technical assistance for Phase 2 of the EV Readiness Program. In this phase that began in 2022, a robust EV Readiness Advisory Committee was convened to refine the Checklist and create pathways to EV Ready Bronze, Silver and Gold. The Committee helped to prioritize the most strategic EV Readiness Checklist actions, assign a point value to each item, and decided whether the action was Bronze, Silver or Gold. During Phase 2, the Caucus EV Readiness Team and the Committee also identified templates, tools, and resources to guide communities in completing EV Readiness Checklist actions.

The EV Readiness Program was modeled off the successful SolSmart program, which offered a checklist of actions, and resources to take effective action, to prepare for local solar development. Communities like Schaumburg, Hanover Park, and Beach Park experienced exponential growth in solar development through SolSmart.

The Caucus held an info session on the EV Readiness Program for communities on the waitlist on July 29, 2024. The materials from the meeting are below.

View some of the past recorded presentations that the Caucus gave on the EV Readiness Program at the below links: