Illinois is just working to drive citizens away, and raising the cost of living for the ones who don’t, eh?
Illinois lawmakers pass bill to require new homes be equipped to handle EV charging stations
Newly constructed homes in Illinois would be required to include the infrastructure needed for electric vehicle charging stations under a bill now on Gov. J.B. Pritzker’s desk.
The “Electric Vehicle Charging Act,” passed by the state House Thursday on a party-line 69-38 vote after earlier approval by the Senate, requires that new single-family or small multifamily homes offer at least “one EV-capable parking space for each residential unit that has dedicated parking.” A large multifamily residential building must “have 100% of its total parking spaces EV-capable.”
“This is a bill that reflects our future, and future-proofs the future with electric vehicles in this state,” Democratic state Sen. Sara Feigenholtz, who represents Chicago’s Lakeview community and was the chief sponsor of this bill, told the Tribune. “This sort of trickles down to my constituents.”
This will make housing more expensive, especially apartment buildings. Did anyone in the news media ask Pritzker and the people who voted for this if they themselves are driving EVs now?
Republican state Rep. Travis Weaver took issue with that reasoning from Feigenholtz, noting that it was led in both chambers by lawmakers who represent parts of Chicago’s North Side and does not suit the interests of all Illinois residents.
“If less than 1% of cars on the road are EVs, and less than 0.1% of cars in my district are EVs, I just don’t see why we’re having people in downstate Illinois pay for this infrastructure,” said Weaver, who represents a swath of central Illinois.
Climate cultists do not care
Gabel said that would not be considered, and clarified that developers would only be required to pay for the wiring that could allow for a charging system to be installed. She said the cost for that is minimal.
“Less than $1,000 is what we’ve been told,” she said.
Or, bear with me here, homeowners could pay to install it themselves if they get an EV. Where it will really hurt is apartments.
Pritzker has been a strong advocate for clean energy. In 2021 he signed a bill that increases incentives aimed at increasing EV production and he has stated a goal of ensuring that there are 1 million electric cars in the state by 2030.
Yet, I cannot find anywhere that says he drives one.
Read: Illinois Looks To Make Homes More Expensive By Requiring EV Infrastructure »