
Moline, East Moline and Rock Island will see a total of eight new electric vehicle fast-charging stations installed for public use in downtown areas through a grant to MetroLINK recently announced by Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker.

“We are beyond thrilled to learn MetroLINK has been awarded $1.28 million in Climate and Equitable Jobs Act (CEJA) funds, made possible through the Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program, in conjunction with a partnership with the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency,” MetroLINK Manager of Administration Jennifer Hirsch told the QCBJ in an email Tuesday, Jan. 14.
“As a leader in the electric vehicle space, our vision is to take our community to the next level through ‘electrifying main street’ by installing fast-charge Level 3 DCFC public charging equipment in our downtown areas,” she added.
The Rock Island County Metropolitan Mass Transit District, known as MetroLINK, provides bus service, ADA paratransit, Special Transportation Services and Channel Cat passenger ferryboat service. Communities it serves include: Moline, Rock Island, East Moline, Silvis, Milan, Carbon Cliff, Hampton and Colona.
The award-winning agency is deeply committed to promoting sustainability through an eco-friendly all electric and natural gas fleet. It also promotes access to EV charging, and last September MetroLINK announced a grant that will allow it to buy a new battery-electric zero-emission ferry.
Regarding this new project, Ms. Hirsch said, “Through our partnerships with the city of Moline, East Moline, Rock Island, and Rock Island County, these funds will not only benefit passengers wishing to charge electric vehicles in our downtown, but will support economic development, expand the local adoption of electric vehicles, and promote tourism in the Quad Cities with robust infrastructure investment.”
Advancing sustainability
She added: “Thanks to Governor Pritzker and the Illinois EPA, we are on our way to electrifying main street and advancing the Illinois Quad Cities’ sustainable transportation network.”
A news release from the governor’s office said that Illinois was awarded $114 million in competitive federal grant funding to support the EV charging stations across Illinois, including in the Chicagoland area, Springfield, Metro East, and the Quad Cities.
According to the governor’s release, the new funds for the Quad Cities will allow MetroLINK to add two charging stations in East Moline, three in Moline and three in Rock Island.
The U.S. Department of Transportation funding also will build 14 truck charging hubs, adding to the statewide charging infrastructure. Illinois received the largest award, the release said.
Mr. Pritzker also announced $39 million in state funding to build 1,476 charging stations at 242 locations in Illinois to make access to charging more accessible across the state.
Grant funding will be provided through the Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program, and made possible through the governor’s bipartisan Rebuild Illinois capital plan and authorized under the CEJA, the release said.
“This is another win for Illinois as we lead the EV revolution, strengthening our EV infrastructure and building a cleaner, more sustainable transportation network,” Mr. Pritzker said. “Thanks to the collaborative efforts of federal and state partners, these investments mark a major step forward in making EVs more accessible and advancing our clean energy goals.”
Across the state, the awards will fund DCFC (Direct Current Fast Charging) charging stations at publicly accessible locations such as shopping centers, retail stores, gas stations, hotels, and more.
Investing in EV infrastructure
The Illinois EPA also awarded $25.1 million in EV Charging grants under CEJA last spring, and $12.6 million in Volkswagen Settlement monies, providing funding for more than 2,300 new charging ports. Today in Illinois, there are 4,051 active public charging ports, including 2,728 Level 2 and 1,323 Level 3 Fast Charging, the governor’s office said.
“Illinois EPA is proud to be a part of building up EV charging infrastructure throughout Illinois,” Illinois EPA Director James Jennings said. “As more projects are developed and deployed, Illinois will serve as a critical connecting charging hub for zero emission vehicles, especially trucks, traveling across the nation.”
The agency’s project, E-FREIGHT in Illinois, also will receive $100 million to deploy 14 publicly accessible charging stations along priority freight corridors. These stations will add 345 electric vehicle charging ports and vehicle stalls, and feature battery storage and clean on-site power generation.
Most of the locations will have chargers which have Megawatt Charging System (MCS) connectors or are MCS-ready. MCS chargers are high-powered chargers and can charge a heavy-duty electric truck to 80% in less than half an hour.
Nationally, this Illinois-based charging infrastructure network will serve as a critical connecting node in the middle of the country to expand medium-heavy duty charging hubs beyond existing East and West coast deployments, the release said.
From Illinois, a truck can reach 83% of the continental U.S. within a two-day drive. Many cities are only one EV charge away from the borders of Illinois, including dozens across parts of these 14 states. Collectively, these stations are estimated to support over 3,300 medium and heavy-duty electric vehicles per day.