Drive an electric vehicle in the metro-east? Here’s where you can charge up for free

The state of Illinois has installed a donated electric vehicle charging station at Frank Holten State Park in Cahokia Heights as part of an effort to help — and encourage — people to use electric vehicles on road trips through the state and stop in the metro-east along the way.

Gov. JB Pritzker announced the new charging station at a news conference in the state park Thursday morning along with state and local officials.

It is one of a handful of chargers donated by electric vehicle supply company EVBox that Illinois officials are placing at state parks, historic sites, museums, beaches and other areas. Others have been installed at Eldon Hazlet State Recreation Area near Carlyle and Washington County State Recreation Area near Nashville.

EVBox has donated a total of 40 Level 2 electric vehicle chargers to Illinois. Dan Fedor, EVBox’s North American senior business development manager, promised at Thursday’s news conference to give the state 15 more by the end of the year.

The state won’t charge a fee for drivers to use these chargers, according to a news release from Pritzker’s office.

“This is a milestone that brings us closer to reaching our ambitious goals of encouraging a reduction in fossil fuel emissions, advancing further electric vehicle adoption by making charging more convenient, and making it easier for people to explore all that our incredible state parks have to offer,” Pritzker said during the news conference.

The state’s goal is to have one million electric vehicles registered in Illinois by 2030. So far more than 120,000 have been registered, Pritzker said Thursday.