A DuPage County, Illinois hemp farm is one of several recipients of $12.6 million total in grant money to build electric vehicle chargers. Kerry Farms is set to receive approximately $480,000 from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) and is one of 10 companies receiving grants, according to a Chicago Sun-Times report.
The grant money was secured from the multibillion-dollar 2016 Volkswagen settlement, totaling $109 million for Illinoismore than any other Midwest state received. Currently, more than half of the total remains unspent.
In 2015, Volkswagen was caught cheating on emissions regulations through a software installed in diesel vehicles, effectively working around Clean Air Act standards and resulting in the national settlement.
“We are excited to see EV-charging infrastructure expanding throughout Illinois, providing much needed access, and complementing the state’s goals to expand EVs in Illinois,” said Illinois EPA Director John Kim in a statement.
The grants will fund 348 new Direct Current Fast Charging ports at 87 accessible locations—like shopping centers, retail stores, gas stations and hotels—throughout Illinois. DuPage County is in the first priority area, tying with Madison County for the most planned sites at 11. DuPage County is located just east of Chicago and is the state’s second-most populous county.
Gov. JB Pritzker praised the move to build more charging stations. He called the state a “nation-leading” electric vehicle ecosystem, citing the state’s manufacture of electric vehicles and tax credits for companies and customers contributing to “a rapidly-growing [electric vehicle] charging infrastructure.”
“I couldn’t be happier to announce that, through our remaining VW Settlement money, we are dispersing $12.6 million to build 348 new fast charging ports up and down the state,” Pritzker said. “This doesn’t just expand access for residents and visitors—it also brings us one step closer towards our mission of achieving 100% clean energy by 2050.”
With the grant funds, Kerry Farms Founder and Owner Joe Sheehan told the Sun-Times he thinks his company will be able to build about six public direct current fast chargers in high-traffic areas including DuPage, Peoria and St. Clair Counties. The farm will lease the land where it builds chargers, though Sheehan said his company is still deciding where to place the chargers.
Telling the publication he is uncertain whether they will see a profit from the move, Sheehan said, “We’re taking risks no one else is willing to take.” While he’s taking the plunge and cited the personal importance of the environmental and community beliefs, he also said he aims to “find a profitable way to do it.”
It’s worth noting that none of the 87 planned charging sites will be in Chicago; the Sun Times previously reported that half of the city’s neighborhoods lack electric vehicle chargers for public use.
Brian Urbaszewski, the director of environmental health programs at the Respiratory Health Association of Metropolitan Chicago, called it “odd” that Chicago was neglected, since more than a fifth of the state’s population dwells there. He said it’s promising that charging sites will be spread throughout the state, including areas with few chargers and lower adoption of electric vehicles.
Though, still, he cited the need for more chargers in Chicago, specifically on the South and West sides, adding that building charging stations in low-income areas would help residents feel “more comfortable” buying electric vehicles. Urbaszewski said it’s unclear whether the lack of proposed sites for Chicago was due to lack of applications or how sites were chosen.
Kerry Farms is the only farm included in the program. Other companies include BP Pulse, ChargePoint, Francis Energy, GPM Midwest, Love’s Travel Stops, Pilot Travel Centers. Powered Dynamics, Road Ranger and Universal EV.
