Mundelein adding EV charging stations to downtown parking lots

Owners of electric vehicles should be able to charge their batteries at municipal parking lots in downtown Mundelein by the end of the year — for a fee.

Two rapid-charging machines will be installed in a lot southwest of where Seymour Avenue crosses Park Street, and two will be installed in a lot on the north end of an alley that’s north of Park Street and west of Seymour.

“Each station can service two vehicles, so each lot will be able to provide access for four vehicles at a time,” Adam Boeche, Mundelein’s public works and engineering director, said in an email.

Additionally, infrastructure will be installed in the lots for stations that charge at slower speeds, like those typically are found in homes, Boeche said.

Fees will be assessed at the new charging machines.

Using any of the rapid-charging machines will cost 50 cents per kilowatt-hour of energy provided. One kilowatt-hour is the amount of energy used to keep a 1,000-watt appliance running for one hour.

If the slower machines eventually are installed, using them will cost 25 cents per kilowatt-hour, Boeche said.

“The rates need to be established just so we are prepared,” he said.

The village board approved the fee structure Monday night without discussion. A private contractor will be hired to install the machines, Boeche said.

Charging stations already are available in the parking lot on the west side of village hall, 300 Plaza Circle. They can be found at some businesses and other venues in the Mundelein area, too.

Arlington Heights, Des Plaines, Libertyville and Palatine are among the suburbs offering electric vehicle charging stations in municipal lots or garages. Some charge a fee; for example, to use any of the three municipal charging stations in Des Plaines, the rate is 10 cents per kilowatt-hour.

Rolling Meadows and Vernon Hills are among the towns planning to install charging stations.

Buffalo Grove High School, Stevenson High School in Lincolnshire, the Vernon Area Public Library in Lincolnshire and the Aspen Drive Library in Vernon Hills are among the many other public facilities with electric vehicle charging stations.

To find more charging stations, visit the U.S. Energy Department’s afdc.energy.gov.