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Public EV charging stations being installed at Rolling Meadows city hall

Six of seven electric vehicle charging stations being installed in the parking lot of Rolling Meadows city hall will be available for public use starting this summer, city officials said.

The six 48 amp charging stations will be accessible 24/7 free of charge to Rolling Meadows residents and nonresidents alike, though there will be a 4-hour time limit to prevent misuse of the spaces and discourage overnight parking, said City Manager Rob Sabo.

A seventh charger — this one at 32 amps — will be reserved for city fleet use. The less powerful charger is suited for smaller cars, and the city’s sole electric vehicle is a Chevy Bolt used by a building inspector.

But officials plan to ramp up their use of EVs in the coming years, following the city council’s adoption of a sustainability plan in 2023 that calls for using sustainable energy whenever practical.

Aldermen recently approved the purchase of a new electric car, while another 17 gas-fueled vehicles in the city fleet were identified for EV replacement.

The plan is subject to change as officials evaluate the vehicle replacement schedule every year and technology advances, Sabo said.

The chargers — to be installed in four locations in the north and northwest sections of the lot at 3600 Kirchoff Road — have the capability of being switched between fleet and public use.

They can also have a usage fee applied, but that isn’t the plan, officials say.

City staff started looking into the possibility of installing chargers for both the municipal fleet and the public last year, but the project was delayed after ComEd said existing transformers at city hall didn’t have the capacity to support multiple charging stations.

The council inked a contract with Elmhurst-based contractor Dominion Lighting & Solar, which will lay a concrete pad for ComEd to install a new transformer, then run a line and install a switch panel capable of managing the electrical load for the seven chargers.

Under the $85,100 agreement, the city will be responsible for $47,769 after getting a $37,331 rebate through ComEd’s “Make-Ready” incentive program.

The one-year service contract includes 24-hour remote monitoring of the system, on-site service if needed, and charger software.

The concrete pad, switch panel and pedestals for the charging stations are set for installation in late April or early May, and the transformer in June.

The public chargers should come online by midsummer, officials say.

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