But all that is about to change after the City Council voted Monday evening to charge ahead with spending $821,000 installing 10 chargers at locations dotted around the city.
Two chargers will be plugged in outside the Civic Center, another two will be at the Decatur Public Library, two more will be near Lake Decatur at Nelson Park and four chargers will be stationed in Fairview Park.
The chargers at the Civic Center, library and Nelson Park will be “Level III” models capable of fully juicing up a vehicle in 45 minutes or less. The four chargers in Fairview Park will be “Level II”, which need about eight hours to zap your typical EV battery back to full strength.
The huge cost of all this work is being paid for with 100% grant money funneled through the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency, Ameren Illinois and the Department of Transportation.
They all appear amped up to help because, according to interim City Manager Melissa Hon, Decatur gets a far from glowing report card on EV charger availability.
“These investments align with the city’s EV readiness Plan and national guidance from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Alternative Fuels Data Center, both of which highlight that Decatur currently lags behind regional peers in providing publicly accessible infrastructure,” she said in a memo to the council.
“Expanding EV access will support residents, visitors, and the city’s long-term sustainability goals.”
The council voted unanimously to install the chargers, and work is expected to begin as soon as this week. But the pace of current affairs, however, may have already left them behind.
A June survey by the American Automobile Association found that just 16% of adults in the nation are either “very likely” or even “likely” to purchase a fully electric vehicle as their next ride. That’s the lowest level of interest recorded since 2019.
Potential buyers cite the higher cost of EVs and, significantly, anxiety over the lack of a convenient and reliable network of public chargers. Drivers were also concerned about long charging times when asked to list reasons for bypassing battery cars while vehicle shopping.
Automotive leaders warn U.S. EV sales could collapse after the $7,500 federal tax credit expired September 30. Ford’s CEO expects sales to drop to 5% of the market, while Nissan cited “super-brutal” competition as inventory builds. Automakers are relying on leasing programs and price cuts to offset weakening demand.
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