Electric Vehicle Act, Carsharing Organizations, Illinois, 2011
5 minutes
Summary
The Illinois Electric Vehicle Advisory Council (EVAC) was created through an act of the Illinois General Assembly (Public Act 097-0089, the Electric Vehicle Act) to promote the use of electric vehicles (EV) in Illinois. In the spring of 2011, the General Assembly passed legislation to encourage carsharing organizations to purchase EVs in fiscal years 2012 and 2013. Two known car-sharing organizations, I-GO and Zipcar, will be eligible for up to 25 percent of project costs involving the purchase of new EVs and new charging infrastructure. The funds can only be used to purchase new EVs from Illinois car dealerships.
Key Definitions
EV means: a battery-powered electric vehicle operated solely by electricity or (ii) a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle that operates on electricity and gasoline and has a battery that can be recharged from an external source." As stated in the Act, the adoption and use of EVs will benefit the State of Illinois by (i) improving the health and environmental quality of the residents of Illinois through reduced pollution, (ii) reducing the operating costs of vehicle transportation, and (iii) shifting the demand for imported petroleum to locally produced electricity.