Top honors in the utility category a testament to ComEd’s work to remove barriers and support widespread, equitable EV adoption in northern Illinois
CHICAGO, September 04, 2024–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Plug in America, a national electric vehicle advocacy group, today announced that ComEd is the only energy company to earn a 2024 Drive Electric award. ComEd was selected for the exclusive honors based on its efforts to advance the electric vehicle (EV) movement, and for the creation of EV customer programs designed to address gaps and equitably increase the adoption of EVs.
EVs are on the rise in Illinois today, with over 111,000 EVs currently registered in Illinois, and nearly 90 percent 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 1 million EVs on the road by 2030.
“As I’ve said since day one of my administration, a clean energy future is meaningless if it leaves behind the historically disenfranchised and perpetuates inequities. ComEd is working alongside state programs like CEJA to ensure this isn’t the case, and I’m grateful for their leadership,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “This award recognizes the work they’ve done to make EVs accessible to a broader audience of Illinoisans, helping us on our goal of 1 million EVs on the road by 2030.”
“ComEd has made targeted investments to help remove barriers and empower more customers to tap into the benefits of EVs, while our industry-leading reliability has given them confidence in charging,” said Gil C. Quiniones, President and CEO of ComEd. “This recognition from Plug in America is a testament to the work we are doing alongside our communities and partners across the region to ensure that everyone can enjoy the economic and environmental benefits that come with Illinois’ fast-growing EV ecosystem.”
Through its annual Drive Electric Awards, Plug In America has selected the top individuals and organizations who are making an impact in the electric vehicle movement. This marks the first time that ComEd is recognized. Other honorees this year include U.S. Department of Energy Secretary Jennifer Granholm, major urban cities of New York and San Antonio and more.
“ComEd has established itself as a leader in the EV transition. They have taken a comprehensive approach to removing barriers to EV adoption for customers, dealers, fleets and communities,” said Joel Levin, Executive Director of Plug in America. “Most notable is their focus on EV equity, including higher rebates and point-of-purchase rebates to reduce upfront costs. They also target the most impacted communities by reducing pollution through fleet electrification programs. We applaud ComEd for helping Illinois achieve its goal of putting one million EVs on the road in the next six years.”
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Through investments in its infrastructure, delivering the most reliable and clean energy in the nation, and through customer resource programs, ComEd aims to help ease the transition for customers who are interested in switching to EVs.
Most recently, ComEd launched nearly $90 million in EV rebate programs for customers, helping residential, business and community customers alike pursue charging infrastructure and fleet electrification projects. The EV rebate programs so far have helped support the incentivization of nearly 1,600 residential and non-residential private and public charging ports, 109 electric fleet vehicle purchases, including over a dozen heavy duty, school bus and transit vehicles and has reached customers in nearly 300 different zip codes across the northern Illinois region. Funding through the program remains available, with larger amounts available for low-income and equity communities in an effort to enable an equitable EV transition. ComEd encourages customers to apply at www.comed.com/cleanenergy.
ComEd has also created tailored programs to help prepare local communities to accommodate the growth of electric vehicles (EVs) and EV infrastructure. Through the EV Readiness Program, created in partnership with and administered by the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, more than 30 communities have received training to support them in the development of permitting, safety plans and community engagement strategies so that EV use is made accessible to all.
“ComEd has launched innovative transportation electrification initiatives that are responsive to the needs of our region. Recognizing that local governments are essential partners in the safe and rapid adoption of electric vehicle technologies, they have partnered with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus to support municipalities in becoming EV Ready Communities, said Kevin Burns, Mayor of the City of Geneva, Illinois and Executive Board Chairman and Environment and Energy Committee Chairman of the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus. “We are thrilled to see them earn this prestigious recognition.”
Customers interested in an EV can also find a number of online resources to support them no matter where they are on their EV journey. The ComEd EV Toolkit is a free, one stop shop resource to help customers get individualized cost savings data, information on different vehicles and chargers and a public charging finder tool. The new EV Service Provider network connects customers with ICC-certified vendors to support their EV charger installation. Additionally, ComEd offers an EV load capacity map and a free fleet electrification assessments to help communities plan and site infrastructure that will support EV drivers.
For more on this year’s Plug In America Drive Electric awards, visit their website.
About ComEd
ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 250 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.comand connect with the company on Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn, Xand YouTube.
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