CHICAGO, April 18, 2012 - Electric car drivers will be able to charge up at seven electric vehicle (EV) charging stations at O'Hare International Airport and another seven at Midway International Airport, thanks to today's approval by the Chicago City Council.
The Council passed an ordinance to expand the number of charging stations for airport customers using increasingly popular and environmentally-sound electric cars.
The publicly accessible electric charging stations include six Level II stations, which can charge a vehicle in four to six hours, at each airport, and one Level III DC Fast Charger station, which can fully charge a vehicle in less than an hour, at both O'Hare and Midway.
"Chicago is a leader in promoting sustainability, using innovative technology like electric vehicle charging stations around the City and at our airports to encourage Chicagoans to go green," said Mayor Rahm Emanuel. "This is just one example of the commitment my administration has made to transforming Chicago into the greenest city in the world."
Today's ordinance approves a concession agreement with 350 Green LLC that allows the Chicago Department of Aviation (CDA) to collect a portion of the revenue from the charging stations. The CDA will also be reimbursed for the cost of electricity used as part of the revenue sharing agreement. 350Green sells the service for an individual (per charge) fee of $3.50 for a 90-minute Level II charging session or $7 for a 15-minute "Fast Charge" Level III session. Or, electric vehicle owners can purchase a subscription for $70 a month. Both airports have seen a number of electric vehicles, including the Chevy Volt, Tesla and Nissan Leaf, taking advantage of the charging stations at both airports.
"We are so pleased to offer electric vehicle charging to our traveling customers at O'Hare and Midway, as well as Chicagoans who need to charge their vehicles while waiting for arriving passengers in our cell phone lots at our airports," said CDA Commissioner Rosemarie S. Andolino. "We continue to work with Mayor Emanuel on ways to make Chicago greener, which includes the many sustainability programs already in place at Chicago's airports to improve air quality and reduce emissions. Chicago's status as a world-class city makes it important to use to provide a variety of transportation services to our customers and residents."
The electric charging stations at the airports, some of which have already been installed, are part of a growing City-wide network of what will reach 281 EV charging stations once all are installed. The Citywide EV charging station project is the first and largest of its kind in the United States.
O'Hare EV station locations:
- Hourly Parking - two Level II EV charging stations are located in on the first floor of the main Terminal Parking Garage, next to the entrance to/from the Bus/Shuttle Center
- O'Hare's main Terminal Parking Garage, fourth level - two Level II chargers will be installed
- Cell Phone Waiting Lot near Mannheim and Zemke Roads - two Level II chargers and one Level III Fast Charger will be installed
Midway EV station locations:
- Terminal parking garage (short-term) - three Level II stations
- Economy parking garage at 55th Sreet. - two Level II stations
- Cell Phone Waiting Lot (at 61st Street and Cicero Avenue) - one Level II station and one Level III Fast Charger station
To view the news release issued by the Mayor's office, click here.
