Gov Quinn Announces $1 Million Effort to Build Electric Vehicle ReCharging System

CHICAGO – February 18, 2011. Governor Pat Quinn today announced an initiative to boost the state’s sustainability efforts through the increased use of electric vehicles. Under the plan, the state will invest $1 million of Illinois Jobs Now! capital funding to install state-of-the-art electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure throughout the Chicagoland area.

“This project will encourage greater use of green transportation alternatives by making electric vehicle use more convenient and accessible in one of the most heavily traveled cities in the country,” said Governor Quinn. “Through strategic investments like this, we are encouraging long-term economic growth, supporting innovation and creating the jobs of today and tomorrow.”

This project is expected to be the largest concentration of DC quick-charge stations in the world. Exact locations of the charging stations are still being determined, but will include Midway and O’Hare Airports, grocery stores and shopping centers throughout the Chicagoland area, and parking garages in downtown Chicago. Installation of the network is expected to be completed by the beginning of 2012.

350Green, LLC will install, own and operate the EV charging network. The network will consist of a total of 280 charging stations, including 73 DC quick-charging stations and 146 Level 2 chargers for public use, with an additional 61 Level 2 chargers for the dedicated use of I-GO and Zipcar car-sharing fleets. The DC quick-chargers represent a new technology that will drastically reduce the amount of time it takes to charge a vehicle. A vehicle would now be able to charge in the time it takes to shop at the grocery store, as opposed to charging overnight, which is the current standard.

The $1 million in state capital investment will match $1 million in Clean Cities Grant funds that the city of Chicago received through the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA) of 2009. The project is expected to create 18 permanent and temporary jobs, and construction of the network will support 8,500 labor hours. The Illinois Jobs Now! capital construction program has created an estimated 155,000 jobs to date, and is expected to create or retain more than 439,000 jobs over six years.

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