Ameren Illinois Electric Vehicle Charging Plan Approved
In an effort to drive electric vehicle adoption, Ameren Illinois, which provides electricity and natural gas to Central and Southern Illinois, has gotten approval from the Illinois Commerce Commission for its electric vehicle charging tariff.
The tariff will help to support the development of a network of charging infrastructure and implement special time-based delivery service rates and other incentives to encourage greater adoption of electric vehicles.
The electric vehicle charging program will consist of six aspects, including a special delivery service rate for at-home charging during non-peak hours; a special delivery service rate and supplemental line extension allowance to property owners who install charging facilities on their multi-family facilities with extra allowances for low-income areas and special delivery service rates and incentives for electric school bus operators.
“A common barrier that people identify when considering EV ownership is range anxiety,” said Richard Mark, chairman and president, Ameren Illinois.
“The concern that a charging station will not be available during extended road travel. This tariff will help address this concern by providing rate incentives and supplemental line extension allowances that will improve accessibility to in-home and on-the-road charging infrastructure.”
Mark noted there are fewer than 60 publicly available charging stations across Ameren’s 44,000-square-mile service territory. Here is a list of available charging stations in the Metro East.
The charging program will also include special delivery service rates and incentives for customers operating public electric transit buses; incentives for property owners and third parties to install public fast-charging stations in predetermined areas along transportation corridors and incentives to encourage the installation of public fast-charging stations through the territory.
Ameren says it hopes the program “will help jump-start electric vehicle adoption and charging station installation in central and southern Illinois and accelerate progress on the state’s green energy goals.”
Customers can begin enrolling in the new rate options in the fall of 2021.
Shepard Price has a Master’s degree in Journalism from the University of Texas and lives in St. Louis. They have been in journalism for more than four years.