Illinois Gov. J.B. Pritzker on Sept. 15 signed legislation that provides for a $4,000 rebate on electric vehicle purchases starting in July 2022. Pritzker said the rebate would be available to all Illinoisans, not just those in certain counties, as had been discussed during floor debate of the bill.

 

Rebate eligibility could be clarified in follow-up legislation which lawmakers have said will be considered in the fall veto session to clean up portions of the nearly 1,000-page bill. The sweeping energy regulation overhaul aims to phase out carbon emissions from the energy sector by 2045 while diversifying the renewable energy workforce.

 

The electric vehicle portion of Senate Bill 2408 aims to put 1 million electric vehicles on Illinois roads by 2030, also by offering incentives of up to 80% on the cost of charging stations that were built by labor paid at the prevailing wage, based on a number of factors.

 

The new law also provides subsidies to convert coal-fired plants to solar or energy storage facilities at about $47 million annually starting in 2024. That provision, according to state Sen. Michael Hastings, D-Tinley Park, will be a boon to downstate by helping "transition shuttered coal plants into state-of-the-art solar energy sites with world-renowned battery storage," a provision aimed at boosting the reliability of otherwise intermittent resources such as wind and solar.

 

Pritzker’s signature marked a celebratory end to negotiations that began shortly after he took office in 2019.