Illinois state lawmaker's bill aims to expand electric car charging in homes
CHICAGO (CBS) – Electric vehicles continue to be all the rage for auto fanatics.
A proposed Illinois law wants to make EVs more accessible to the average Joe. Morning Insider Lauren Victory took us through legislation that gets specific about electric vehicle charging.
CBS 2 went for a spin in Art Friedson's new electric car.
"The acceleration is crazy," he said. "The ride is like a dream."
But it's a bit of a nightmare for Friedson when he needs to plug in his battery. He has to go to a local supermarket where they have a commercial charging station.
A whole trip to Whole Foods – that's not what Friedson expected since his condo neighbors already installed EV charges in his Lakeview garage they all share.
"This is exactly what I thought I would do in my space, but they were concerned we didn't have enough juice in the building," he said.
The Electric Vehicle Charging Act is meant to provide relief and calls for various mandates in Illinois as more and more EVs hit the roads.
"My experience hearing from constituents about this is what's encouraging me," said State Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, who is sponsoring the bill.
She added, "This is a piece of legislation that sort of lays the groundwork about the right to charge."
For example, tenants would have the right to ask for an EV plug, then landlords have the right to make the requesting renter pay for installation.
Another requirement would apply to developers of new residential buildings or single-family homes, who would need to provide conduit, tubing that protects and routes wires, to establish framework for possible future EV parking spots.
"We have rolled a lot of things out of this bill that were rejected," Feigenholtz said.
The original bill required condo buildings doing major renovation work to revamp for EV parking. That got some resistance, so it's now out. There's also been pushback around cost.
The Illinois proposal does not require builders to pay for wiring or the actual charging device. Remember, the bill would mandate conduit only and stipulates the timing: during construction.
"The range can be like from $50 to $200 but hundreds, if not thousands, if you have to do trenching after a building's been done," Feigenholtz said.
The senator calls it a "very basic bill" for a basic task that more and more constituents are needing to do at home, like Friedson who one day wants his own charger for his car.
The Illinois Senate could vote on the Electric Vehicle Charging Act as soon as this week.