Illinois said it will invest $18.4 million to build 25 new electric vehicle charging stations along interstate highways, after federal funds that had been frozen were restored through legal action.
The charging projects, announced by Governor JB Pritzker, Attorney General Kwame Raoul and the Illinois Department of Transportation, will support both automakers and charging providers. Beneficiaries include Tesla, Rivian, Electrify America, EVgo, Universal EV, and Francis Energy Charging, which were selected last year before the funding was halted.
“Selected locations will have at least four DC fast charging ports, each of which can fully charge a typical EV from empty in less than 30 minutes,” the governor’s office said. Springfield Mayor Misty Buscher added: “We’re very pleased to get a Level 3 charger for the Springfield area for EV drivers along the I-55 corridor.”
The $18.4 million allocation follows a court order in June requiring the federal government to release infrastructure funds that Illinois and other states had been denied. Raoul, alongside 16 attorneys general, sued the Federal Highway Administration in May. Pritzker said: “Illinois has been at the forefront of building a clean energy economy that creates jobs and helps lower costs for consumers, and building electric vehicle chargers across the state has been core to that mission.”
The new investment builds on Illinois’ first round of National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) program awards announced last year, which provided $25.3 million for 37 charging stations.