Glenview, plus Skokie, Evanston, Wilmette, Glencoe, smooths way to electric vehicle charging
The Glenview Village Board took action earlier this month meant to remove potential barriers to developing EV (electric vehicle) infrastructure, village officials said.
The move is also a response to the village joining the Electric Vehicle Readiness Program, an initiative from the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus that helps communities prepare for—and encourage—increased use of electric vehicles. Skokie, Evanston, Glencoe and Wilmette are also members.
Some of the new language added to village's code includes:
• a prohibition on non-electric vehicles parking in EV charging station spaces.
• establishing a 'market rate' fee to charge an electric vehicle at a village-owned station.
• new definitions related to electric vehicles and EV infrastructure, including power range levels.
• provisions that new residential construction have electrical infrastructure in place for future EV charging, as required by the Illinois Electric Vehicle Charging Act.
• allowing EV charging stations to count as two parking spaces when new developments are seeking approval for a minimum number of spaces as part of a conditional use permit from the village.
Currently, there are 25 public EV charging stations available around Glenview, though none are located on village-owned property, said David Just, village spokesperson.
'We continue to explore adding charging stations to village property, but have no active plans to do so at this time,' he said.
During an April 9 meeting of the Glenview New Development Commission, Deputy Director of Community Development Adam Aronson said charging stations would be considered for purchase if grants are available to fund them.
Glenview joined the Electric Vehicle Readiness Program last year as a member of its third cohort.
'It's designed to increase awareness and make it easier for people to utilize EV vehicles,' Glenview Director of Community Development Jeff Brady said of the program.
More than 30 suburban municipalities and two counties are currently members, with a new cohort scheduled to be announced in the fall.
Mary Munday, co-founder of Greener Glenview, a citizens sustainability advocacy group, said she is happy the village is part of the EV Readiness Program.
'We hope the village's participation does stimulate more EV charging stations,' she said.
If the village adds its own stations, it may spur more businesses to do the same, Munday added.
Encouraging electric vehicle usage promotes clean energy, and the EV Readiness Program helps communities take the steps needed to be more EV friendly, from specifying electric charging infrastructure in their zoning codes to applying for grants to add charging stations, to getting the message out to citizens, said Edith Makra, director of environmental initiatives for the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus.
'The benefits to residents are that their community is showing forward thinking and planning, is aware of opportunities, and is ready to be progressive and move ahead with clean energy technologies,' Makra explained.
Federal funding would have been available to the member communities to add EV charging infrastructure, but that funding—more than $14 million worth—has since been eliminated under the Republican presidential administration, Makra said.
'I don't know where we stand with federal funding [in the future], but I think electrification will continue because of the local momentum we have had and because it's the global trend,' she added.
Like Glenview, nearby communities of Glencoe, Wilmette and Skokie have also joined the EV Readiness Program. Each community operates their own charging stations, available for public use.
The village of Skokie has four charging stations which, over the last six months, have together averaged approximately 550 charging sessions per month with approximately 100 unique drivers utilizing them, said Patrick Deignan, communications and community engagement director.
The average charging session lasts about four hours, 18 minutes, he added.
While users of Skokie EV stations are charged a fee of 10 cents per kilowatt hour, municipal-owned stations in Wilmette and Glencoe are free to use, according to information on the community websites.
Usage is not currently tracked in Wilmette, but officials are working to soon better obtain that data, said Lucy Mellen, sustainability coordinator for the village
'Even though we don't track usage, I can say the stations are heavily used,' she said. 'We frequently see them in use.'
Glencoe operates two fee-based charging stations in the Village Court parking lot.
By completing specific tasks and initiatives, municipalities can achieve bronze, silver or gold status in the EV Readiness program. Glenview's latest actions qualify it for bronze status, village officials said.
'Being bronze-designated demonstrates the village's commitment to ensuring that EV infrastructure is installed safely and efficiently, while proactively ensuring alignment with state policies,' Just said. 'Future grant funding could also be tied to program participation.'
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