Proliferation of EVs will require more charging

Normal, Illinois (WMBD) — McLean County continues to be a leader in the transition to electric vehicles in central Illinois, but other industries are changing as the number of green vehicles increases.

As more EVs hit the streets, finding a place to charge becomes another problem, especially for renters and those who don’t live in single-family homes with private garages.

As of this month, there are 797 EVs registered in McLean County, according to the company. Office of the Secretary of StateTown of Normal planners said the move to green energy is changing the way planners think about their projects.

“We are definitely talking about it with our developers. At this time there are no code requirements for EV charging, but it is something we will discuss as the project progresses,” Davison said.

Illinois will have 36,500 electric vehicles registered in the state as of 2021. U.S. Department of EnergyThat number has since increased as Rivian continues to expand employment and production, especially in McLean County.

“There are more EVs in McLean County every month, and people need places to charge,” says Davison.

according to PlugShare.comthe EV Charging Stations website says there are currently 43 charging locations within McLean County, and it’s no surprise that most are within regular towns or the city of Bloomington.

Chargers are everywhere, from private companies to ISUs and IWUs to government-owned parking lots like Uptown Normal and downtown Bloomington.

Davison said he hopes to see more charging stations installed in community apartments in the near future.

“It’s definitely starting to happen, and I think in a few years it’s going to be the norm,” Davison said.

Andy Netzer, president of Young America Realty, said it’s slowly becoming the new normal for management companies.

“It’s still just a little bit. I think we’re all set for a bigger problem than we can imagine,” Netzer said.

Netzer has yet to install a charging station in his apartment, but expects to have to in the future.

“I think we have to. You’ll see some of the major automakers say they’re going to make their fleets fully electric in the next decade or so,” Netzer said. increase.

He said it would create additional challenges for apartment managers to resolve.

“What do you do with some of the unusual cases, such as people who have been parked longer than they need to be charged, or who have been assigned parking spaces in a dedicated way,” Netzer said.

Last month, the Biden administration approved plans to use $5 billion in federal funding over the next five years to deploy a network of fast chargers along interstate highways.