ComEd, the Midwest’s largest utility company delivering energy to 9 million people in northern Illinois, is out with a forward-looking plan to help our customers move toward a cleaner and safer future. With demand for EVs and electrification on the rise, ComEd is moving to help more customers in the region to take advantage of zero emissions technologies that are demonstrated to lower carbon emissions pollution, enhance air quality, and generate net savings for customers using them.
We’re investing $231 million over the next three years to enable the increased adoption of electrified technologies, notably on the transportation front. This investment is designed to help more customers interested in EV adoption make the switch, to help fleet managers accelerate their plans for electrification, and to provide incentives so that more communities can install charging infrastructure that’s needed to support the growing number of EVs hitting the road.
The investment delivers on a key aspect of Illinois’ forward-looking Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA), which includes an ambitious goal of putting 1 million EVs on the roads by 2030, in addition to making Illinois one of the first states in the nation to transition its power sector completely away from fossil fuels by 2050.
Removing barriers to expand EVs and charging
ComEd’s investment in beneficial electrification will enable several new programs for customers– with new incentives, rates, pilots and educational tools to be made available over the next three years to boost EV adoption in the region. These include:
- Residential Rebates – to help reduce upfront costs to buying and installing home electrification technologies ComEd will create new rebate programs– with a portion dedicated to EV charging infrastructure;
- EV Fleet Rebates –to help large customers convert their fleets to zero-emissions vehicles, ComEd will make rebates available to lower the upfront purchase costs of light, medium and heavy duty trucks; as well as school buses and mass transit;
- Make Ready Infrastructure – incentives will be offered to support installation of EV charging stations for public sector entities or installation of EV charging stations that are publicly accessible or that support residents in multi-unit dwellings;
- Customer Outreach and Education – new programs to help empower customers to make decisions about home and vehicle electrification, with a focus on boosting awareness in under-resourced communities;
- Research & Innovation –new pilots to study and inform practices that will expand the benefits of electrification technologies, including: air quality mapping, school bus vehicle to grid (V2G) capabilities, residential optimized charging, curbside charging, ridesharing and grid backup; and
- EV Charging Rate Option – nonresidential customers can opt into a new rate class providing an alternative to demand-based rates, with a goal of lowering costs associated with bringing charging to low utilization areas and equitably growing the current network of charging available throughout the region.
The benefits of electrification
All eyes are on transportation electrification – and for good reason. Today, the transportation sector accounts for one of the largest sources of carbon pollution in the U.S. With new goals creating new momentum for EV adoption, Illinois is poised to capture the economic benefits from additional businesses investments by EV manufacturers and suppliers, but also the health benefits. The addition of electric powered cars, trucks, school and transit buses will not only help lower our collective carbon footprint, it will help all members from the community breathe a cleaner and more equitable future due to improved air quality – regardless of whether they drive an EV or not.
And while transportation electrification is of-the-moment, we’re also looking to advance the electrification of buildings and industry. Beneficial electrification of all types helps to lower carbon emissions by reducing reliance on fossil fuels, but, perhaps just as importantly, it can help reduce overall energy costs for customers. Case in point – our new program for low-income customers launched last year is demonstrating how customers can lower their energy usage via whole home electrification, with potentially hundreds of dollars saved annually on overall energy bills, while significantly lowering energy usage. Not to mention the health benefits for entire communities when more homes begin to shift away from fossil fuel burning heating and cooling systems.
ComEd’s new electrification programs dedicate a significant amount of funding for communities to meet their electrification goals at home, on the road and at work. Importantly, each of the new programs is centered on equity, with nearly half of all rebates and a dedicated portion of make-ready programs reserved for bringing more EV infrastructure investment into equity eligible investment communities, which includes our low-income communities, and those as defined by the state of Illinois.
So in addition to the air quality enhancements that electrification will bring to communities that have disproportionately borne the brunt of pollution, the investments we’re making will have a catalyzing effect, bringing more investment –and the jobs that come with it—to communities where it’s needed most.
Resources to help navigate the transition
The first wave of ComEd’s investments in electrification will go into effect later this year, with the majority of our new clean transportation programs set to be implemented in 2024.
In the meantime, ComEd offers up-to-date information to help customers plan for a transition to EVs. Through our EV Toolkit, customers can find a list of current EV rebates and incentives to offset purchase costs, information on how to buy a charging station or locate publicly available charging options, utility rate plan options, and notably, a fuel cost savings calculator offering a personalized look at potential annual savings achieved from switching to an EV.
For more on how ComEd is supporting customers with EVs, please visit www.comed.com/EV.