ComEd, Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Announce 17 Northern Illinois Communities Complete Training to Become “EV Ready”

ComEd and the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus recognized a diverse group of communities completing a program designed to help prepare them to accommodate the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and EV infrastructure. Through their completion of the EV Readiness Program, 17 local governments have demonstrated actions required to create permitting, safety plans and local policies that help make EVs more accessible in communities throughout northern Illinois.

“The EV Readiness Program provides cities and counties across the state with the foundation they need to support EV growth within their communities,” said ComEd President and CEO Gil Quiniones. "The shift to EVs will lower emissions and enhance air quality, key milestones on the journey to building a more sustainable future in Illinois.”

The EV Readiness Program was launched by ComEd and the Caucus in 2022 to help prepare municipalities to accommodate the growing number of EVs in Illinois, which includes more than 145,000 currently registered in Illinois today, and the vast majority of them in ComEd’s northern Illinois service territory. EV adoption is expected to increase in the future, as the state of Illinois, through its Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), has set a goal of getting to 1 million EVs on the road by 2030.

“With each graduating cohort, the EV Readiness Program continues to grow stronger and more impactful,” said Kevin Burns, Mayor, City of Geneva, Illinois, and Metropolitan Mayors Caucus Environment and Energy Committee Chair and Immediate Past Executive Board Chair. “This third cohort reflects the steady momentum our region is building toward a cleaner, more connected transportation future.”

A diverse mix of 17 communities becomes the third cohort to graduate from this program during a ceremony held at the Illinois Institute of Technology (Illinois Tech) in Chicago, Illinois. To date, the program has reached 38 communities in its three unique cohorts.

The participating local governments in this third cohort range from large urban cities to suburban communities, with representation from north, central, south and west sides of the region. The third cohort communities are:

• Broadview
• Brookfield
• Chicago
• Countryside
• DeKalb
• DuPage County
• Glenview
• Highland Park
• Johnsburg
• Lindenhurst
• Park Forest
• River Forest
• Rockford
• Rolling Meadows
• Streamwood
• Vernon Hills
• Warrenville

“By learning from each round and improving the program along the way, the Caucus is helping communities like ours turn ambition into action—and laying the groundwork for a robust, equitable EV ecosystem across northern Illinois,” said Nancy R. Rotering, Mayor, City of Highland Park, Illinois, and Caucus Executive Board Chair.

The EV Readiness Program is guided by a comprehensive EV Readiness Checklist of 132 possible municipal actions to demonstrate preparedness for EV integration.

“The City of Chicago is proud to have earned Gold in the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus’ EV Readiness Program. This recognition is a testament to our deep commitment to accelerating the transition to clean transportation in every neighborhood,” said City of Chicago Mayor Brandon Johnson. “Through this program, we’ve strengthened collaboration across City departments and are building the infrastructure and policies needed to expand access to EVs, reduce emissions and deliver cleaner air and healthier communities for all Chicagoans.”

“As we electrify transportation across the country, we must strive to build smarter, faster and more accessible charging infrastructure here in Illinois,” said U.S. Senator Dick Durbin. “By assisting 17 of our communities in Chicagoland to complete the EV Readiness Program, The Metropolitan Mayors Caucus is accelerating the transition to clean transportation and strengthening Illinois’ commitment to combatting the climate crisis. I’ll continue working with Senator Duckworth and our local leaders to maintain Illinois’ position as a leader in electric vehicles and charging infrastructure.”

During the third cohort, three communities earned Gold status, which reflects the most advanced participation under the program. The City of Chicago “leveled up” to Gold status from the Bronze designation it received in the second cohort. The Village of River Forest and the City of Rolling Meadows also achieved Gold status in this cohort.

DuPage County “leveled up” from Bronze to Silver status by pursuing additional EV readiness actions, including participating in ComEd’s Fleet Electrification Assessment. This comprehensive assessment helps communities and other commercial customers plan the transition to an all-electric fleet, providing the customer the opportunity to assess proper vehicles for their fleet, to plan and determine charging infrastructure needs, to measure total cost of electrification and emissions reduction, and to find information about ComEd and other incentive programs they may qualify for. With ComEd’s assistance, numerous EV Readiness communities have participated in the free assessment, including the Cities of Chicago, Highland Park and Rolling Meadows, as well as the Villages of Park Forest and River Forest.

“The results of the EV Readiness program show what’s possible when cities decide to lead instead of follow,” said Rolling Meadows Mayor Lara Sanoica. “Rolling Meadows is proud to be recognized among the leaders creating a more sustainable future for our region.”

“The City of Rockford is honored to participate in the EV Readiness Program, which has played a vital role as we work to modernize our transportation system and ensure the benefits of clean mobility reach every neighborhood,” said Tom McNamara, Mayor, City of Rockford, Illinois. “This program helped us lay the groundwork for a more sustainable, inclusive future – one that supports economic opportunity, environmental stewardship, and community well-being. We look forward to building on this momentum.”

Participation in the EV Readiness program has proven to help communities increase EV registrations, while also helping them develop and qualify for additional funding opportunities. Communities like Chicago and Rolling Meadows have qualified for EV grant funding to create better EV access for their cities. By conducting an initial fleet EV suitability analysis, the City of Chicago successfully secured over $11 million in federal grants to replace older diesel vehicles with new electrified vehicles.

In response to the rise of EVs in the region, the EV Readiness program was developed by a coalition of over 70 regional partners including local mayors, managers, and other local government staff members, as well as representatives from councils of governments, regional planning organizations, EV charging station companies, IBEW (International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers), Argonne National Laboratory and ComEd.

The EV Readiness Program is one example of significant investments that ComEd is making to support customers and communities in the transition to EVs. Earlier this year, ComEd launched over $100 million in EV rebate funding to support residential, business and public sector customers with expanding EV use, by funding fleet EVs and EV charging infrastructure projects. To ensure equitable access to EVs, ComEd’s programs reserve over 50 percent of all funding for equity investment eligible communities (EIEC), as defined by the state of Illinois, or for low-income customers. Information on eligibility can be found at www.comed.com/EV.

ComEd | https://www.comed.com/

Metropolitan Mayors Caucus | mayorscaucus.org

Illinois Tech | iit.edu