Kathryn Ciesla, Village President of Northbrook, stood beneath the sleek glass façade of UL Solutions—a global safety science leader—as she celebrated her community’s quiet revolution: 300 new EV chargers installed locally and a Gold designation awarded to UL for sustainability leadership. This moment, set against the hum of innovation in a Chicago suburb, marked the graduation of nine northern Illinois municipalities from ComEd’s 2026 EV Readiness Program—an initiative fast-tracking the region’s transition to clean transportation. With electric vehicles surging in popularity, these communities are rewriting local policies, streamlining permits, and training first responders to ensure the grid of tomorrow is ready today.
The stakes couldn’t be higher. Illinois has 171,000 EVs on its roads already, most within ComEd’s service territory, and the state aims to hit one million by 2030 under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act. The EV Readiness Program, launched in 2022 with the Metropolitan Mayors Caucus, gives towns the blueprint to meet that demand. From Burr Ridge to Woodridge, mayors and sustainability officers are updating zoning codes, creating EV-specific permit types, and tracking charging infrastructure metrics to plan smarter growth. Northbrook, Downers Grove, and Des Plaines earned Bronze EV Ready designations in 2026, while Streamwood and Vernon Hills advanced to Silver—proof of sustained progress.
In Downers Grove, collaboration with ComEd helped bring nearly 300 EV chargers to an Amazon distribution facility after the company electrified its delivery fleet. The village also rolled out dedicated permit pathways for EV chargers across residential and commercial properties. Des Plaines, which hosted the kickoff for this year’s cohort, opened a 40-bay BP Pulse charging hub in December and has begun electrifying its municipal fleet with two new electric vehicles. Across the region, 45 communities have now earned EV Ready Community designation, a testament to coordinated action.
“This program helps communities remove barriers to EV charging, improve safety and streamline local processes,” said ComEd President and CEO Gil Quiniones. “These graduating municipalities are leading the way.” For residents, that means faster permits, safer installations, and more accessible charging. For the region, it means momentum toward equitable, scalable clean transportation.
As Illinois accelerates toward a fully electrified future, the work in these nine towns proves that change doesn’t just come from state mandates—it grows from local leadership, shared knowledge, and the quiet determination of mayors, planners, and utilities building a cleaner world, block by block.