Bloomington-Normal residents, leaders discuss future of electric vehicles

The event was held at the McLean County Museum of History in downtown Bloomington and organized by the Electrifiers Team from the 2023-24 class of the Multicultural Leadership Program and the EVTown Steering Committee. 

“It’s to promote and provide educational information about electric vehicles and eliminate some of the myths that people have,” program coordinator Willie Holton Halbert said in an interview with the Pantagraph. “So, there’s some excitement in the community about this, and we’re just happy to be a part of this and provide some education and adoption of EVs.”

Halbert is part of the Electrifiers Team and, in collaboration with the EVTown Steering Committee, they hope to establish Bloomington-Normal as a leading community for electric vehicles, perhaps even becoming the “EV capital of the Midwest,” as they continue to educate the community about the benefits of EVs. 

Halbert admitted that she didn’t know much about EVs before putting the event together, but said she’s now considering making the switch herself after learning more about them and even driving one. 

“Our community, we strive towards equity for all people, and often this is something you’re not at the table when decisions are being made,” she said. “Here’s an opportunity for the community to be engaged and get their feedback. We want your feedback. We want to educate and inform, but we also want to listen.”

The event included a panel discussion with David Braun, general manager of Connect Transit; Maura Freeman, public policy lead at Rivian, which employs more than 8,000 people at its manufacturing plant in Normal; Michael Brown, executive director of the Ecology Action Center; Raymond Lai, executive director of the McLean County Regional Planning Commission; Ashley Krull, general manager of Tesla – Bloomington; Bill Kemp, librarian at the McLean County Museum of History; Joshua Crockett from State Sen. David Koehler’s Office; Gary Hurley, director of marketing and VP utility for Corn Belt Energy; Tessa Ferraro, associate planner for the Town of Normal; and Tricia Fazzini, co-organizer from the EVTown Steering Committee. 

Bloomington Mayor Mboka Mwilambwe also made an appearance and gave opening remarks.

Each panelist spoke for a few minutes on topics including local and state sustainability efforts, background on the EVTown Steering Committee, history of EVs in McLean County, recent innovations by Rivian and Tesla, zero-emission buses, and environmental impacts. There also was time for attendees to ask questions.

Kemp focused on Bloomington-Normal as one of the leading areas in EVs, dating back to 1959, when the Henney Kilowatt battery-powered car was engineered and assembled at the Eureka Williams Corp. plant in Bloomington. Two-hundred cars were made, but only 46 or 47 were sold. 

Braun announced during the meeting that Connect Transit plans to purchase 10 electric vans to add to its fleet for Connect Flex services. He added that 12 of Connect Transit’s 44 buses are now electric, and the company plans to build its own microgrid, which is a local electric grid with defined boundaries, to serve those buses.

Ferraro said the Town of Normal recently received a $105,000 grant through the Bloomington-Normal Area Convention & Visitors Bureau to build a Level 3 EV fueling station that is expected to be complete by the end of June. She added there are 1,440 electric vehicles in McLean County and over 90,000 throughout Illinois. 

Hurley said Corn Belt Energy, which held an EV car show in September at State Farm, plans to bring the event back again this year. 

The meeting was followed by an EV exhibit featuring seven vehicles, including a Rivian R1S and Rivian R1T, a Tesla model, a Connect Transit electric bus and more. Attendees were even invited to take the Rivian vehicles for a test drive on site.

Attendee Alex Fazzini, originally from the Bloomington area, came all the way from Chicago to support his mom, who was one of the panelists that afternoon. He said she has done a lot of work, along with his father, Rob Fazzini, to bring more EV focus to Bloomington-Normal and make it a “center of excellence” for electric vehicles. 

“One of the biggest takeaways I’m seeing is, in the past, we’ve really worried about bills and lobbying and whatnot, and then infrastructure, but I’m really seeing a turn, and moreso that people are actually interested in EVs and trying to better come to grip (with) the benefits,” Alex Fazzini said. 

Halbert added that increasingly in today’s world, electric vehicles are becoming more of a need than a want. 

A video of Saturday’s EV meeting will be available at evtown.org for those who were unable to attend the event but want to learn more about the topic.