ComEd Engages Communities To Encourage EV Adoption

ComEd has partnered with three organizations to launch an EV Ambassador Program to encourage EV Adoption. Photo provided by ComEd.
ComEd has partnered with three organizations to launch an EV Ambassador Program to encourage EV Adoption. Photo provided by ComEd.

ComEd Engages Communities To Encourage EV Adoption

By Tia Carol Jones

ComEd has partnered with local organizations to engage community members and educate them about electric vehicles (EV) and ComEd’s rebate program at events across the South Suburbs and Chicagoland area.

Equiticity, A Step Beyond NFP and Bronzeville Community Development Partnership are part of the EV Ambassador Program, which is meant to expand education and awareness about electric vehicle adoption and its benefits. ComEd has been supporting EV adoption through rebates to customers, which has resulted in funding almost 5,000 public and private EV charging ports.

The ambassador program is part of the company’s Beneficial Electrification Plan, which provides financial rebates and resources as a way to support a transition to cleaner transportation. The funding for the plan began in 2023 and will continue through 2028.

“Switching to an EV can come with a variety of benefits, including fuel cost savings and a reduced environmental impact. We are committed to helping our customers reap the benefits of this transition and ensure they understand the resources available to them as they consider EV options,” Melissa Washington, senior vice president of customer operations and strategic initiatives at ComEd, said in a release. “ComEd launched this new EV Ambassador program to better reach customers where they are, increase the visibility of our offerings and connect communities who will see the greatest benefits of EVs with the correct resources.”

Cristina Botero, Senior Manager of Beneficial Electrification at ComEd, said the programs that ComEd has developed are meant to promote EVs in low income and equity eligible communities.  She said that even with their current engagement efforts, more opportunities exist to engage communities and ensure they are able to hear from trusted partners and organizations about the benefits of EVs. She said the three partner organizations have credibility in the community and serve as trusted messengers.

“Equiticity is pleased to partner with ComEd on their new EV Ambassador Program. We look forward to our work together to ensure Black and Brown neighborhoods are experiencing the range of benefits from increased adoption of electric transportation,” Olatunji Oboi Reed, President and CEO of Equiticity, said in a release.

EV Ambassadors will be available at the Park Forest EV Car Show on June 25th and at Cars at Lincoln Commons on June 28th. Botero said the goal of having EV Ambassadors at these events is to have them directly engage with people, answer questions and provide resources and information. There will be other events that will take place throughout the region where people can learn about the benefits of EV, not just driving one, but also riding in an EV powered bus or other types of transportation.

With the push toward more EV’s, comes the need for more charging stations. Botero said that there are currently around 4,000 public charging ports throughout Illinois. She said that the state of Illinois estimates that in order to get to one million EVs by 2030, the number of charging ports will have to be increased by six to eight.

“ComEd is investing a total of about $400 million between 2023 and 2028 in EV investments and the bulk of this is in incentivizing charging infrastructure. The main program we have for charging infrastructure gives rebates for any cost that customers incur to make a site ready for charging. This is going to ensure there will be more public chargers out there,” she said.

Botero said while ComEd oversees the electrical infrastructure that goes into the charger and their role is mostly to help reduce the cost of installing the infrastructure or making a site ready for that infrastructure, it does not own or operate any charging infrastructure.

For more information about ComEd and its efforts to expand EV adoption in Northern Illinois, visit ComEd.com/EV.

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