Electric Car Charging Stations in Illinois

As of 2022, the overwhelming majority of EV charging stations in Illinois are in the Chicago area.
Written by Amber Reed
Reviewed by Kathleen Flear
According to data from PlugShare, there are more than 2,300 public charging stations for electric cars in
Illinois
. Most of them are in the
Chicago
metropolitan area. 
Electric cars
used to seem like a joke or a pipe dream, but those days are long over. With rising gas prices and climate change, the push to go electric is very much a reality—and these days, there are a lot of great options to choose from!
If you have (or are thinking about) getting an electric car in Illinois, then this guide is for you! Read on for some solid info about charging your EV in Illinois—where you can find stations, how much it might cost, and what kind of incentives are available to people who buy EVs.
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Where to find electric vehicle charging stations in Illinois

Charging your electric vehicle isn’t as simple as just plugging it in any old place. You’ll need to know the specific type of charging and connector you require and where to find them. The kinds of charging that are currently available for EVs are the following.
  • Level 1: This is comparable to the standard 120-volt outlet you have at home. It can take up to 24 hours to charge a vehicle and is best suited for plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs)
  • Level 2: These can range from 208 to 240 volts, but 220 is the one you’ll likely see the most. These take about four to eight hours for charging and are often installed for home charging uses. 
  • Level 3: This is that DC fast charging (DCFC) you’ve been hearing about, and it can deliver a charge at up to a rate of up to 20 miles per minute. These are ideal for long trips and charging stations along major traffic corridors. 
  • Tesla
    Supercharger: Technically, these are just a subset of Level 3 charging. But these are Tesla’s proprietary stations and can add up to 200 miles of range in 15 minutes.  
Public Level 1 charging stations are the least common, as it takes such a long time to charge with them. But Illinois has a few thousand stations that offer Level 2 and/or 3 charging, with the vast majority of them in the Chicago area.
Here are some handy resources that you can use to find EV stations in Illinois:
  • ChargeHub: This has a searchable database and map that lets you filter by level and charging connector.
  • PlugShare: This also has a nice map and database, and you can search for free stations.
  • Alternative Fuels Data Center: This website is brought to you by the U.S. Department of Energy, and can also be searched by charging level and connector.
  • Electrify America: This is the largest network of public DC fast chargers in the country and has numerous stations nationwide.

Illinois cities with the most EV charging stations

City
Total number of public charging stations
DCFC stations
Tesla stations
Free stations
Chicago-Naperville-Elgin
2366
547
360
489
Springfield
104
14
8
9
Bloomington
96
24
20
10
MORE: How to choose an eco-friendly car
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How much does it cost to charge an electric car in Illinois?

No matter what level of charging you use, it’s going to cost less to charge up your battery than it is to fill your tank. But it’s not free, so it’s good to have an idea of how much it will cost you to charge ‘er up! As the overwhelming majority of charging stations are in the Chicago area, we’re going to focus on pricing there. 
There are a decent amount of Level 1 charging opportunities in the Chicago area, mostly around hotels and gas stations. And as an added bonus, they’re generally free! So if you have an EV and you’re staying at a hotel, you might be able to charge overnight for free. 
There’s also a nice supply of Level 2 chargers, and a good portion of them look to be free of charge as well. Again, many of them are associated with hotels and you have to be a guest, but there are also lots of Level 2 charging opportunities at state parks, campgrounds, and public charging stations. At the stations where you have to pay, you expect to pay around $0.20 to $0.25 per kWh
The quickest way to go is with DC fast charging, and it typically costs the most money. EVgo charges $0.29 per minute for DCFC at their stations and offers a reduced rate for members. 
Electrify America charges per kilowatt hour rather than by the minute, and they have two pricing structures. One has a $4 per month membership fee and is $0.31 per kWh, and if you don’t have a membership, it’s $0.43 per kWh.
Costs at a Tesla Supercharging station vary depending on location and time of day, but most sources report that they’re around $0.25 per kWh. At this rate, it will cost you anywhere from around $9 to $18 to charge a Tesla from 0% to 100%. If you’d like to get a ballpark idea of how much you might pay to charge your battery, you can use this formula: 
Vehicle battery size (kWh) x rate (cost per kWh) = total charging cost
Of course, if your battery isn’t totally drained, then it will be less than this amount. But if you know how much charge you need to fill up, then you can go from there. 
Many charging networks offer memberships with discounted rates, so it may be worth your while to do some research and see what the best options are for you. 

Illinois electric vehicle incentives

The U.S. government is offering rebates and incentives for purchasing certain kinds of electric vehicles, and many state and local governments are getting in on the action too. While Illinois’ EV incentives aren’t as generous as some other states, they’re better than nothing!
Through Illinois’
Electric Vehicle Rebate Program
, people who buy a new or used EV from an approved retailer can be eligible for up to $4,000 in rebates. Here’s the catch, though: The program is funding-dependent, and you have to apply. This means that not everyone who buys an EV will get a rebate. The first rebate cycle is closed, and no more applications are being accepted.
But don’t despair! The next rebate cycle opens on Nov. 1, 2022, and closes on Jan. 31, 2023. Another important detail? The program is only open to all-electric vehicles—no PHEVs allowed. 
Ameren Illinois is the electricity supplier to the lower three-quarters of the state, and they offer a discounted
residential rate program
for home EV charging when it’s done at specific times. Unfortunately, while Ameren serves the majority of the state when it comes to area, they’re not the electric utility in the top quarter of the state where Chicago is.

How to save on electric car insurance in Illinois

They’ll definitely save you money on fuel, but electric cars are often more expensive to insure. But by shopping with the
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