Fourteen new electric-vehicle charging stations are coming to gas stations and a restaurant in McLean County, as part of a second round of federal grants aimed at bolstering EV charging capacity along interstate corridors.
State officials said Wednesday they would release $18 million it received after successfully suing the Trump administration for withholding the funds that Congress had already allocated. The money will fund 167 charging stations at 25 locations, including $787,500 going to electric automaker Rivian to add 12 stations at the massive Wally’s rest stop in Pontiac. Others include:
One of the largest disbursements will be a $910,287 grant for chargers at Eric’s Too Family Restaurant and Lounge near the interchange of Interstate 55 and Interstate 74 in Bloomington.
“This type of charging infrastructure will not only increase the number of charging stations, but it will enhance our energy sources for the Bloomington community as well,” Bloomington Mayor Dan Brady said in a statement.
Fighting for the money
The 2021 Bipartisan Infrastructure Law signed by former President Joe Biden contained $148 million for Illinois to build more EV charging stations. The state received $25.3 million to build charging stations at 37 locations in 2024 as part of the first round of grant funding.
But the Federal Highway Administration withheld the second round earlier this year after President Donald Trump signed an executive order requiring federal agencies to pause funding for clean energy projects appropriated in the Biden-era law.
Illinois Attorney General Kwame Raoul and 16 other attorneys general sued the Trump administration in May seeking the release of the funds. The lawsuit argued it is illegal for the president to withhold funding that has already been approved by Congress. A judge ruled in June that the federal government must release the funds to Illinois and other states that joined the lawsuit.
“Illinois has been at the forefront of building a clean energy economy that creates jobs and helps lower costs for consumers, and building electric vehicle chargers across the states has been core to that mission,” Gov. JB Pritzker said in a statement. “I’m thankful for the quick action of our Attorney General in the fight to restore these funds that President Trump was unlawfully withholding.”
Pritzker’s office announced on Wednesday that Illinois will receive $18.4 million this year as part of the second round of grant funding for EV chargers. The money will fund the 167 charging stations at 25 locations. With the release and allocation of the federal funding, Illinois will have received $43.8 million from the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law to build 349 charging ports in 62 locations.
State officials said expanding charging locations will help the state achieve its goal of having one million electric vehicles registered in Illinois by 2030.
Ben Szalinski from Capitol News Illinois contributed to this report.
