Chicago prepares for EVs
Hoping for widespread electric vehicle adoption, manufacturers said they look at three factors in picking cities for rollouts: large numbers of hybrid owners - a sign electric cars will be embraced - friendly public policy and supportive utilities, the Chicago Tribune reported.
Chicago wants to prove it's plug-worthy, city officials say.
Last month, Chicago sought proposals to install $2 million worth of charging stations to be deployed throughout the city using federal and state funding.
"Since Henry Ford introduced the first mass-produced motor vehicle, it's been, 'Where can I find a gas station?' And those were pretty prevalent," Suzanne Malec-McKenna, commissioner of the city's Department of Environment, said. "This is completely different."
The Chicago metro area is the third-largest U.S. auto market, and Illinois ranks in the top 10 states for hybrid vehicle registrations, according to the Environmental Law & Policy Center, one of the entities participating in the city's Electric Vehicle Consortium.
"We need to get the right policies in place, moving forward, soon. And when I say soon, I mean get them in place over the next six months to a year," center Executive Director Howard Learner said.
Related News

Can Europe's atomic reactors bridge the gap to an emissions-free future?
PARIS - Shaken by the loss of Russian natural gas since the invasion of Ukraine, European countries are questioning whether they can extend the lives of their ageing nuclear reactors to maintain the supply of affordable, carbon-free electricity — but national regulators, companies and governments disagree on how long the atomic plants can be safely kept running.
Europe avoided large-scale blackouts last winter despite losing its largest supplier of natural gas, but industry is still grappling with high electricity prices and concerns about supply.
Given warnings from the International Energy Agency that the coming winters will be particularly at risk from a…