Pritzker touts Illinois’ position in electric vehicle industry

(The Center Square) – Gov. J.B. Pritzker and U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg are highlighting Illinois’ work in the electric vehicle industry.

Pritzker led a tour for Buttigieg and Illinois’ Democratic U.S. Sens. Dick Durbin and Tammy Duckworth at the Heartland Community College’s electric vehicle facility in Bloomington Saturday.

The tour was part of the new EV effort after the state’s Reimage Electric Vehicles in Illinois Act passed in November 2021. Buttigieg also promoted federal infrastructure spending with around $5 billion nationwide for EV charging stations.

Buttigieg said that Illinois is doing everything right regarding electric vehicles.

“The EV revolution needs to happen quickly enough to beat climate change, that it happens on equitable terms that benefits all Americans, and that is a made in America electric vehicle revolution,” Buttigieg said. “You see all of those goals at play in what’s going on right here in the Bloomington, Normal area.”

Pritzker discussed his REV bill and said his hope is that it will make it easier for Illinoisans to do two things.

“The REV act focused on electric vehicles and we are making it easier for people to acquire an electric vehicle and to find a charging station across the state,” Pritzker said.

The law is expected to increase the number of EV owners in the state. Pritzker expects increases in EVs on Illinois roads over the next 10 years.

“Over the next decade, by 2030 we think that we are going to have over a million electric vehicles on the road in the state of Illinois,” Pritzker said.

The key to the electric vehicle movement for the governor depends largely on the amount of charging stations for EV owners. Currently, the state has over 900 total EV charging stations but many townships do not have one.

Heartland Community College offers college students training in the diagnostics and service of electric vehicles. Pritzker said the program at Heartland is a good example of things to come for the state.

“Heartland is enormously important as an example of what we are going to be doing all across the state,” Pritzker said.

The state is also offering several tax incentives for those who own an electric vehicle.

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