Clean Energy to Communities - Cook County

From July through December 2024, Cook County and the Illinois Alliance for Clean Transportation participated in a peer-learning cohort focused on municipal fleet electrification through the Clean Energy to Communities (C2C) program. Funded by the U.S. Department of Energy and managed by the National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL), with support from the World Resources Institute (WRI), the C2C program helps local governments, Tribes, and municipal utilities develop actionable strategies for fleet electrification.

Through six monthly workshops, participants learned how to identify and engage key project partners, including internal staff and utility representatives; prioritize vehicles for replacement; assess charging infrastructure needs; select sites; install charging infrastructure; and procure and contract for the necessary equipment and services. The cohort also addressed workforce development, including best practices for preparing and training staff to operate, manage, and maintain electric fleet vehicles.

IACT supported Cook County in developing its Municipal Fleet Electrification Action Plan based on the activities, analysis, and discussions conducted during the C2C cohort from July through December 2024. The Action Plan builds on the County’s prior alternative-fuel initiatives, existing fleet-management policies, ongoing data-collection efforts, and the technical guidance provided through the C2C program.