Electric Car Charging Station Coming To Downtown Wilmette

WILMETTE, IL — A new 24-hour-a-day electric car charging station is coming to downtown Wilmette with the support of money from an annual grant program sponsored by Commonwealth Edison and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.

Now in its seventh year, the Powering Safe Communities Program provides public safety grants of up to $10,000 to local governments in towns where ComEd provides electricity service.

The partnership with the Mayors Caucus, a council for chief elected officials in the Chicago area, has distributed more than $1 million worth of grants to 136 projects in northern Illinois since the program began, according to representatives of the power company.

This year, 20 public agencies received a total of $170,000 in grants, which focused on clean transportation projects. They ranged from new fans and defibrillators for fire departments, electric cars and new squad car cameras for police or a pole-mounted automatic license plate reader.

ComEd provides the funding for the program, the Mayors Caucus reviews applications and administers the grants to local governments, which each match the ComEd contribution with their own money of equal or greater value. Nearly 60 communities applied this year, according to ComEd.

In Wilmette, $10,000 in funding will go toward a weatherproof, commercial-grade charging station for electrical vehicles that will be publicly accessible 24 hours a day. Village officials will be able to set different electricity rates and conditions for different users, according to ComEd.

Melissa Washington, senior vice president of governmental and external affairs at ComEd, said the company knows the importance of safety.

“Each community that was awarded this grant is committed to the safety of their residents and we commend them for their efforts," Washington said. "ComEd is proud to work with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to help these communities’ address their public safety needs.”

The program allows for grants of up to $10,000. Village staff have not yet determined locations for the chargers, which must be installed by March 2022.