Tesla has thrown its support behind an application by the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that has recently cleared the way to $100 million in funding for building statewide electric truck charging stations.
The vast funding comes courtesy of the Biden administration’s Federal Highway Administration’s Charging and Fueling Infrastructure program. The initiative’s second round amassed a total grant of $636 million, split among 49 recipients.
Despite a previous proposal by Tesla for a $97 million corridor project between Northern California and Southern Texas being passed over, Tesla Semi – their envisioned electric big rig – remains in development stages.
Spotting the opportunity within the CFI program, Illinois’ state EV officer, Megha Lakchaura, decided to go after the funding. The state combined requests from Tesla, logistics real estate company Prologis, fleet electrification firm Gage Zero, and truck stop giant Pilot into one single application to the CFI.
Lakchaura commented on the state’s proactive efforts to construct fast charging stations for passenger vehicles using both state and federal funds. However, the lack of a “money pot” for heavy-duty or medium-duty electrification led the agency to call for support in June 2024, which reportedly had a positive market response.
Tracking partner requests, the agency submitted an application for approximately $126 million in CFI funding; broken down as – Prologis ($60M), Tesla ($40M), Gage Zero ($16M), and Pilot ($10M). Each partner pledged a substantial contribution for charging station constructions; Prologis ($18M), Tesla ($19M), Gage Zero ($4M), and Pilot ($2.5M).
The Federal Highway Administration’s award fell slightly short of the requested amount. The funding will enable Illinois to add 345 charging ports across 14 sites, with chargers varying between the range of 150kW to a top-tier 1MW.
This boost in development particularly in the Midwest could prove crucial in advancing long-haul trucking; positioning this ‘hub’ of Tesla and partners as nationally significant.
Original source: Read the full article on TechCrunch
