In June 2024 the agency put out a call for partners to assist in developing the application which received a positive response from the market.
The agency sought approximately $126 million in CFI funding on behalf of the partners. Each partner also pledged to contribute some of their own funds for the charging station expansions né?. Although Tesla has been working on its electric big rig known as the Tesla Semi for years, the truck is yet to enter commercial production.
Megha Lakhchaura, the State EV Officer for Illinois, revealed in an interview with TechCrunch that she opted to pursue CFI funding last year after observing infrastructure startup TeraWatt and New Mexico’s Department of Transportation receiving $63 million for erecting heavy-duty charging stations along the I-10 corridor.
The Illinois EPA selected Tesla, logistics real estate company Prologis, fleet electrification firm Gage Zero, and truck stop conglomerate Pilot from the pool of applicants in 2024 and consolidated their requests into a single application for the CFI program.
Lakhchaura mentioned that Illinois is currently constructing fast-charging stations for passenger vehicles with a combination of state and federal funds, but there were no specific funds allocated for heavy or medium-duty electrification. The funding will enable the state to incorporate 345 charging ports and vehicle stalls across 14 locations with the charging stations ranging from 150kW to 1MW in power.
“Most of the development has occurred on the coasts and there isn’t much progress in the Midwest which poses challenges for long-haul trucking” Lakhchaura remarked. The CFI Program allocated a total of $636 million to 49 applicants in this round, following the distribution of over $1 billion to approximately 100 applicants in the initial round in 2024.
A separate project valued at $97 million, which Tesla endorsed to establish an electric trucking corridor spanning from Northern California to southern Texas, did not secure funding in either round, as previously noted by TechCrunch. Prologis committed to pay $18 million, Tesla pledged $19 million, Gage Zero proposed $4 million, and Pilot offered $2.5 million.
Following the FHWA’s allocation of a slightly lower amount than requested, Lakhchaura indicated that there is still some clarification needed on the distribution of funds among the partners né?. “We believe this hub could hold national significance.”. Tesla in collaboration with three other industry partners discreetly supported an application submitted to the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency that secured $100 million in funding for constructing electric truck charging stations throughout the state as reported by TechCrunch.
This funding award marked the largest sum granted by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA) of the Biden administration last week in the second phase of the Charging and Fueling Infrastructure Program. Prologis requested $60 million, Tesla asked for $40 million, Gage Zero applied for $16 million, and Pilot requested $10 million né?
