Joliet Wants To Add Electric Vehicle Charging Stations To City

JOLIET, IL — At the request of Joliet City Economic Development Director Cesar Suarez, the Joliet City Council is being asked to adopt a resolution at Tuesday night's meeting authorizing city staff to apply for a Charging & Fuel Infrastructure Grant.

According to the city memo presented to the Council:

The City of Joliet recognizes the emergence of the Electric Mobility (E-Mobility) industry and the advantages of supporting the infrastructure needed to power electric vehicles (EV) through the installation of electric vehicle charging stations (EVCS) in publicly accessible locations

Grants have been made available through a variety of agencies to support the emerging and rapidly growing marketplace of EVs to include cars, trucks, buses, bike, and other street vehicles powered by electricity.

The U.S. Department of Transportation is providing grant opportunities to municipalities under the Charging & Fuel Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program (CFI Program) to build and install EVCS throughout the City at key locations and interchanges for projects as low as $500,000 for Community Programs and $1 million for Corridor Programs.

City staff would like to apply for the CFI Program and seeks authorization from the City to obligate 20 percent of the project cost and submit an application that is due May 30.

The Mayor and City Council hereby authorize staff to apply for a Charging & Fuel Infrastructure Discretionary Grant Program and obligate a 20 percent match with a minimum of $100,000 and a maximum of $200,000 up until a grant determination and notice has been made.