Illinois wins $18.4M in frozen federal funding for EV chargers

CHICAGO, Ill. (WTVO) — Illinois will receive $18.4 million in grant funding for electric vehicle chargers that was secured during the Biden administration and frozen under the Trump administration.

According to Gov. JB Pritzker’s office, Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 16 other state attorneys sued to unlock funding awarded by the Infrastructure Investments and Jobs Act of 2021, which would guarantee Illinois a total of $148 million to build out an EV charging network.

“I’m thankful for the quick action of our Attorney General in the fight to restore these funds that President Trump was unlawfully withholding. With these resources rightfully coming back to Illinois, I look forward to taking another step forward in our continued efforts to expand EV infrastructure and boosting local economies across Illinois,” Pritzker said in a statement. 

“When Senate Democrats passed the Infrastructure Investment and Jobs Act back in 2021, we voted to send the resources and funding to our home states to build new, better infrastructure. ​ Because of the IIJA, more than $18 million is coming to Illinois to support electric vehicle charging stations,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL). 

Last year, the first round of $25.3 million in awards from the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure program was used to build 37 charging stations throughout the state.

The latest installment will be used to build an additional 25 charging stations, including one in Loves Park.

In February, the Trump administration announced it was suspending approval for all state funding planned for EV charging stations.

At the time, the administration said it had “decided to review the policies underlying the implementation” of the program, suspending approval for all state plans and forbidding new obligations until new guidance is issued and new state plans are submitted and reviewed.