Tesla Awarded $100M for Illinois Electric Truck Charging Corridor

Tesla's Role in Securing $100 Million for Electric Truck Charging Infrastructure

Tesla, in collaboration with three other companies, provided support for an application submitted to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency. This application successfully obtained $100 million in funding designated for the construction of electric truck charging stations throughout the state.

Federal Funding and the CFI Program

This award represents the largest single allocation from the Biden administration’s Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) in the second phase of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure (CFI) Program. A total of $636 million was distributed to 49 applicants during this round.

Previously, the CFI Program had already allocated over $1 billion to approximately 100 applicants in its initial round during 2024.

Project Outcomes and Previous Applications

Notably, a separate $97 million project, also supported by Tesla, aimed at establishing an electric trucking corridor spanning from Northern California to Southern Texas, was not selected for funding in either round of the CFI Program.

Tesla continues to develop its Tesla Semi, an all-electric big rig truck, but has not yet initiated full-scale commercial production.

Illinois' Initiative and Collaboration

Megha Lakhchaura, Illinois’ state EV officer, indicated that the pursuit of CFI funding began last year, inspired by the success of TeraWatt and New Mexico’s Department of Transportation in securing $63 million for heavy-duty charging infrastructure along the I-10 corridor.

The Illinois EPA selected Tesla, Prologis (a logistics real estate firm), Gage Zero (a fleet electrification company), and Pilot (a major truck stop operator) in 2024. Their individual proposals were consolidated into a unified application for the CFI program.

Addressing the Electrification Gap

While Illinois is actively deploying fast-charging stations for passenger electric vehicles using state and federal funds, Lakhchaura highlighted a lack of dedicated funding for the electrification of medium and heavy-duty vehicles.

In June 2024, the agency issued a request for partners to assist in developing the application, receiving what Lakhchaura described as a “very good response from the market.”

Financial Contributions and Funding Breakdown

The collaborative application requested approximately $126 million in CFI funding. The breakdown of requests was as follows:

• Prologis: $60 million
• Tesla: $40 million
• Gage Zero: $16 million
• Pilot: $10 million

Each partner also committed to contributing their own capital towards the charging station construction. These commitments included:

• Prologis: $18 million
• Tesla: $19 million
• Gage Zero: $4 million
• Pilot: $2.5 million

Project Details and Future Impact

Due to the FHWA awarding a slightly lower amount than requested, the allocation to each partner is still being finalized.

The funding will facilitate the addition of 345 charging ports and vehicle stalls across 14 locations, with charger capacities ranging from 150kW to 1MW.

“Most of the development has happened on the coasts, and there’s nothing really happening in the Midwest, which is not great for long-haul trucking,” Lakhchaura stated. “We think that this hub could be of national importance.”