Gray clouds over Springfield on Tuesday afternoon parted just in time for the first-ever celebration of EV Day in Illinois. A group of electric vehicle industry leaders, specialists, and spokespeople gathered at the Governor’s Mansion in an event hosted by the Illinois Manufacturers’ Association, celebrating the recent successes by the State’s government in attracting the electric automotive industry.
“Collectively, you’ve delivered some incredible wins for the state,” Governor J.B. Pritzker told EV industry representatives. “I’m thrilled to see our common focus on building up the EV industry is helping all of you grow your businesses.”
A variety of electric vehicles, either built entirely in Illinois or consisting of parts produced in Illinois, were presented in front of the Governor’s Mansion for review; including products from Cadillac, Ford and Rivian, as well as an all-electric school bus built by Lion Electric, and GM’s enormous Hummer EV.
Pritzker has taken a strong initiative with the EV industry: seeing electric vehicle manufacture as a potential moneymaker for the state and a boon for jobs, his government announced last week it had successfully outbid the State of Georgia to convince American manufacturer Rivian Automotive to build their R2 electric SUV in Normal, Illinois. Battery manufacturer Gotion chose Manteno in Kankakee County to build a new battery plant, which alone will employ 2,600 Illinoisans. The Canadian company Lion Electric will build its first all-electric commercial vehicle plant in the US in Joliet.
“As more and more EV suppliers join our ranks in Illinois, we help bring down costs, foster cross-company innovation, and make Illinois more attractive for EV OEM’s.” Pritzker explained, “And indeed, the more OEM’s we get here, and the more tier-1 suppliers you get, the more likely you are to get their suppliers.”
Pritzker is confident that Illinois can capture the EV market — and central to that confidence is the quality of the state’s workforce. The Governor highlighted Illinois’s quality of education last week in a discussion with the Springfield Citizen’s Club; Illinois, he proudly declared, routinely ranks #2 in education outcomes among the 50 states.
“We’re leading the region in workforce development, with a special focus on training the next generation of EV workers,” said the Governor. “We’ve invested $180 million in renewable energy workforce training, along with $10 million to community college EV programs through our Rev Up grant program… Illinois is putting our best asset – our people – front and center in this work; equipping them with the training that they need to ensure that the future of this industry remains here, in Illinois.
“It is being noticed by companies. They want our workforce. That is a major attraction for companies that come to Illinois: they want our workforce. And that is why we continue to invest in the education of our workforce, and the opportunity for them to skill-up, so they can get a better job.”
That education will go towards lasting jobs building and maintaining not just EV’s but also the infrastructure to support them. Illinois continues to invest in charging stations, and has secured almost $150 million in federal funding to help expand the state’s charging infrastructure. Per the Electric Vehicle Charging Act, all new building construction in the state is required to be directly EV-capable without modification.
Addressing the industry groups present, Pritzker said, “I’m proud to be a partner with all of you in pursuit of our mutual, long-term success.
“And I look forward to solidifying Illinois’s place as a powerhouse in the electric vehicle industry, now and for generations to come.”
