Is an electric vehicle on your wishlist for Santa? It’s a fabulous gift. But unlike other battery-operated toys under the tree, recharging is more complex than just grabbing a new AA.
Fortunately, the stars are in alignment for rookie EV owners in 2022 with the federal and state government investing heavily in expanding what now is a limited number of charging stations.
“Everybody’s going to see more stations,” explained John Walton, Chicago Area Clean Cities chairman. However, “there’s more than what most people realize.”
The U.S. Department of Energy’s charger locator listed 46,088 public charging stations nationwide as of Friday. Of those, nearly 90% are standard Level 2 units, which deliver a full charge in six to eight hours. The remainder are DC Fast chargers that can provide up to 80% power in about 30 minutes, Walton said.
Close to home, a quick check on Clean Cities’ station locator shows chargers at diverse spots such as the Rolling Meadows courthouse, a Lisle Mobil station, College of Lake County, Delnor Hospital in Geneva, the Grand Victoria Casino in Elgin and the AMC Lake in the Hills 12 cinemas.
It’s a little random. And it’s definitely not enough, Walton noted. “Sometimes it seems like there’s no rhyme nor reason,” he said.
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