Commonwealth Edison has partnered with Millennium Garages to offer more EV charging stations for the growing number of drivers going electric.
More than 22,500 electric vehicles are registered in Cook County, up from around 14,000 this time last year. Millennium Garages, which has more than 9,000 parking spaces across four garages in the Loop, has committed to installing 300 chargers in its facilities by 2026.
On Tuesday, ComEd and Millennium Garages highlighted the nearly 100 Level 2 chargers that have already been installed, a news release said. Level 2 chargers can charge an EV from zero to 80% in a few hours.
Millennium Garages is also home to the Midwest’s largest public EV charging hub, according to the company.
ComEd awarded $200,000 in incentives to Millennium Garages to support sustainability and clean energy initiatives, the release said.
“ComEd is committed to working with customers and our partners from across the state to accelerate the adoption of EVs,” Melissa Washington, the utility’s senior vice president for customer operations and chief customer officer, said in a statement.
The Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, signed into law in September 2021, introduced rebates for Illinoisans who bought electric cars and motorcycles. The law stated Illinois’ goal is to have 1 million EVs on the road by 2030. Since Gov. J.B. Pritzker signed it into law, the number of EVs in Cook County has more than doubled.
Despite the rising numbers and statewide incentives encouraging Illinoisans to switch to EVs, some parts of Chicago are still lacking charger access.
Millennium Garages offers a range of charger types, including EVPassport, ChargePoint, FlashParking and Tesla, according to the release.
Jamie Ponce, Millennium Garages’ chief innovation and strategy officer, said in a statement that the company was “proud to expand charging access for local residents, commuters, visitors and fleets.”
The expansion of Millennium’s downtown charging hub is part of an effort to reduce emissions and pollution, the release said.
Harold Wimmer, president and CEO of the American Lung Association, praised the expansion and said the EV transition would help improve air quality for Illinois residents.
Tom Carney, acting commissioner of the Chicago Department of Transit, also expressed his support for the new chargers, saying in a statement that they complement “the city’s ongoing efforts to build out EV infrastructure.”
