ComEd and Chicago Area Clean Cities to Host Free, Virtual Event for Customers Interested in Electric Vehicles

Dec.1 webinar offers consumers access to experts from ComEd and regional partners to answer questions related to the transition to electric vehicles

With electric vehicles (EVs) becoming more popular in Illinois and across the country, ComEd is working with a variety of stakeholders to help educate and empower customers looking to get rid of their gas-powered vehicle and transition to a new or used EV.

For those who are in the market for a new vehicle, navigating the emergent EV industry can be intimidating. An upcoming webinar hosted by ComEd and the Chicago Area Clean Cities (CACC) coalition will provide customers with the latest information about how they can navigate the process of transitioning to an EV, including information about the installation of home charging stations and available rebates and incentives.

“Without question, the EV revolution will deliver important health, environmental and cost savings benefits for our customers across the northern Illinois region. While the rise of this new technology presents many options for our customers, we are working to ensure they are empowered to make the choice that is best for them,” said Erica Borggren, Vice President of Customer Solutions, ComEd. “That's why ComEd is teaming up with our partners at CACC to host a free forum to help answer key questions around how to navigate charging, rebates, rate plans and the latest options available on the market to help inform decision making and increase adoption across our communities."

Navigating the Journey to EVs, a free webinar held on Dec. 1, 2022 at 6 p.m., is designed to provide customers with information from industry experts that will help them make informed decisions about EVs. Those interested in attending can register today at https://NavigatingtheJourneytoEVs.eventbrite.com. The event will be posted on CACC’s website for those customers who are not able to attend the webinar but would like to view it later.

“We know many consumers have been overwhelmed with information about EVs and that they do not want to sacrifice performance,” said John Walton, chair, Chicago Area Clean Cities. “This webinar will help give you the details that you need to confidently make the switch to driving electric. We’ll discuss electric vehicle charging, state and federal tax credits and incentives, workplace charging and answer your questions. It should give you great information to help you purchase your next vehicle.”

During the webinar, find out more on what you need to know as you begin the journey to EVs, including:

• Overview of the benefits of driving an EV and current market options
• Current landscape of federal tax credits and state rebate programs
• Customer resources to use to decide the right vehicle and charger for you
• How to work with your utility to understand power availability before installing a charging station
• Live questions answered at the end by experts!

EVs provide a range of consumer savings and community health benefits, including significant savings at the pump, as EV engines draw 100% use of electricity, replacing the high cost of gasoline. For example, depending on vehicle type and driving mileage, transitioning to an EV can save a driver more than $2,000 a year on fuel costs. The savings to the customer are even more significant when considering the avoided operations and maintenance costs over the lifetime of the vehicle, as well as the air quality benefits that EVs provide.

In recent years, federal and state governments have acted to lower financial barriers to new zero-emission technologies, including by offering rebates and federal tax credit programs to assist customers with the upfront purchase cost of EVs. The State of Illinois recently re-opened the EV Rebate program, offering residents an opportunity to apply to capture rebates of up to $4,000 for purchase of an electric vehicle, now through Jan. 31, 2023.

In addition to customer outreach events like this, ComEd wants to make the transition to EVs as simple as possible for customers, and has launched an EV Toolkit – an all-in-one resource providing information and tips on currently available resources and rebates, rate plans and cost savings options, where to find charging stations, and more.

Additionally, ComEd recently announced a new DOE funded grant to demonstrate extreme fast charging technology for EVs, as the time to fully charge an electric vehicle can be a deterrent to customers. While Level 2 chargers require approximately 7.5 hours to charge a standard 70kWh battery, these extreme fast chargers target reducing the time to fully charge a standard 70kWh battery to as little as 15 minutes.

For more information on the benefits of EVs or to receive support from ComEd on an electrification project, customers are encouraged to visit our website or to reach out at EVsmart@comed.com

About ComEd: ComEd is a unit of Chicago-based Exelon Corporation (NASDAQ: EXC), a Fortune 200 energy company with approximately 10 million electricity and natural gas customers – the largest number of customers in the U.S. ComEd powers the lives of more than 4 million customers across northern Illinois, or 70 percent of the state’s population. For more information visit ComEd.com, and connect with the company on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube.

About CACC: Chicago Area Clean Cities is one of more than 75 coalitions across the country affiliated with the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program, which brings together stakeholders to increase the use of alternative fuel and advanced-vehicle technologies, reduce idling, and improve fuel economy and air quality. The coalition concentrates its efforts on educating businesses and municipalities in the six-county Chicago region, including Cook, DuPage, Kane, Lake, McHenry, and Will counties.

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