Overview
Held on December 5th, 2024 at Holland & Knight in Chicago, IL, fifty public and private industry leaders convened for the AEG Chicago 24Q4 Stakeholder Challenge: Mobility & Clean Transportation. The purpose of this challenge was to: 1.) Agree on a critical obstacle preventing achievement of Chicago's mobility and clean transportation goals; 2.) Align on a 90-day sprint and 12-month objective to best address this obstacle; and 3.) Enable stakeholders to create a volunteer Task Force accountable for delivering the agreed solution.
Chairman Doug Scott (Illinois Commerce Commission) and Paul Hogan (Holland & Knight) provided opening remarks followed by the Speaker Challenge, where each speaker provided an 8 minute and 5 slide presentation that concluded with this completed statement: “Regarding mobility and clean transportation, to achieve Chicagoland’s climate, health and equity goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is ______.”
Cristina Botero, Senior Manager Beneficial Electrification, ComEd emphasized the need for data-driven tools to identify and prioritize communities most in need of EV charging infrastructure, ensuring equitable deployment and alignment with Illinois' clean energy goals. Molly Poppe, Chief Innovation Officer, Chicago Transit Authority, CTA highlighted the importance of cohesive coalitions and investments in bus infrastructure and priority lanes to address mobility gaps and improve transit accessibility in underserved areas. Inez Evans Benson, Senior Vice President Bus Practice Leader, WSP highlighted funding and supply chain challenges for procuring zero emission buses, including high costs, limited supplier options and long lead times for grid upgrades.
inspired by the statements provided by Cristina Botero (ComEd) and Molly Poppe (CTA), participants agreed to prioritize the following obstacle:
“Regarding Mobility and Clean Transportation, to achieve Chicagoland's climate, health & equity goals, a critical obstacle to collectively overcome in 12 months is the lack of a cross functional coalition to optimize the equitable deployment of bus and EV infrastructure for mode shift and beneficial electrification that is reliable and drives inclusive prosperity.”
Participants designed, presented, and selected a 90-day sprint and 12-month objective to overcome the above critical obstacle. 11 leaders came together to form a Task Force to complete the above 90-day sprint and 12-month objective.
Task Force Volunteers (some not pictured): Molly Poppe (Lead) CTA Renee Skeete (Co-Lead) Argonne National Lab, Sarah Bortt, CELI, Rob Anderson - JLL, Spenser Nelson - DePaul University, Heather Ferguson, WSP, Michael Thuis, The Carbon League, Ellen Partridge, Equiticity, Andrey Gribovich, DNV, Laura Saltzman, Access Living, Cristina Botero, Com Ed, Emma-Rose Newmeyer, The Carbon League
5 KEY THEMES
1. Cohesive Cross-Functional Coalitions - A Clean Bus for All Us
Establishing coalitions at the state and local levels is critical to advocate for funding and infrastructure improvements, particularly for buses, which play a central role in equitable transit access.
“A cohesive, cross-functional coalition at the state and local level is needed to advocate for bus infrastructure and funding, driving transformational changes in the region.” - Molly Poppe, Chief Innovation Officer, Chicago Transit Authority
To maximize public benefit, in terms of health, equity and prosperity, an intersectional coalition is needed to align ComEd’s Beneficial Electrification priorities regarding bus fleets with CTA needs for bus prioritization -from infrastructure to garage upgrades and customer amenities. This coalition can drive awareness and support while serving as experts and advisors to CTA, The Mayor of Chicago, other service boards and DOTs to address street priority challenges to increased bus ridership (e.g. upgrading traffic light infrastructure; overcoming parking challenges).
2. Data-Driven Tools for Infrastructure Planning
Developing tools to identify communities most in need of EV charging infrastructure, using inputs like socio-economic data, air quality, and grid capacity, is essential for equitable resource allocation of Beneficial Electrification funding.
“The lack of a tool to understand which communities could benefit most from EV charging infrastructure is a critical obstacle to address within the next 12 months.” - Cristina Botero, Senior Manager Beneficial Electrification, ComEd
3. Funding and Supply Chain Challenges
Securing adequate funding for zero-emission buses, EV infrastructure, and overcoming supply chain issues related to OEM manufacturers remains a significant barrier to progress. Increased bus ridership applies demand signals to the market.
“Funding and the cost of zero-emission buses (ZEBs) remain key challenges, compounded by long lead times for grid upgrades and market availability of components.” - Inez Evans Benson, Senior Vice President Bus Practice Leader, WSP
Zero emission buses (ZEBs) continues to cost more to purchase and the charging infrastructure costs are still significant. Operating costs with BEBs are still being explored but costs have been high with initial deployments.
4. Advocating for Bus Priority Projects
Implementing bus priority lanes and infrastructure improvements to enhance bus service speed and reliability is vital to climate goals and creates regional prosperity by providing affordable access to opportunities, starting with vulnerable residents and communities in and around major IL cities, like Chicago. 96% of Chicagoans live near a CTA Bus stop while only 30% live near a CTA Rail station. Chicago lags behind most major cities in bus priority with only 10 miles of dedicated bus lanes whereas NYC has over 140 miles of dedicated bus lanes (or HOV lanes). In 2023, New York Area bus ridership exceeded total subway ridership of the entire county.
“Chicago lags far behind cities like New York and San Francisco in dedicated bus lanes—prioritizing bus infrastructure is essential for increasing access and reducing travel times.” -Molly Poppe, Chief Innovation Officer, Chicago Transit Authority
5. Enhancing Stakeholder Collaboration and Education
Over the next two years, nearly $85 million will fund ComEd rebates for light-duty and medium-heavy duty cars, trucks, and buses with at least 50% of funds directed to fleets located in or primarily servicing low-income and equity investment eligible communities.
Ensuring community involvement, inclusive planning, and far-reaching engagement in the development of mobility solutions is necessary to address equity concerns effectively. Collectively developing a tool based on various inputs (e.g. socio-economic, grid, air quality, revenue potential) and on the relative importance of each would inform targeted outreach efforts and accelerate the equitable transition to EVs in IL.
“Engaging communities in planning ensures EV infrastructure benefits those who need it most.” - Cristina Botero, Senior Manager Beneficial Electrification, ComEd
Conclusion
The AEG Chicago 24Q4 Stakeholder Challenge on Mobility & Clean Transportation brought together 50 industry leaders to address barriers to achieving Chicagoland’s climate, health, and equity goals. The challenge emphasized the need for intersectional coalitions to advocate for transformative bus infrastructure to increase ridership, leveraging data-driven tools to prioritize EV charging infrastructure in underserved communities, and overcoming funding and supply chain challenges for affordable, clean buses. Key themes included advancing bus priority lane projects to strengthen regional prosperity and health, delivering beneficial electrification that prioritizes the most vulnerable, and ensuring community engagement to validate solutions are equitable. As volunteer leaders embark on a 90-day sprint and a 12-month objective, their collaborative efforts will be critical in shaping a healthier, safer and more prosperous future for Chicago and Illinois.
For the list of participating stakeholders who aligned on this critical obstacle and developed this 12 month goal and 90 day sprint, please visit here.
Clean Bus for All of Us, a Carbon League Fundraiser to provide staffing resources.
Other proposed 90-Day Sprints and 12-Month Objectives included:
