A $1.5 million federal grant for the construction of electrified vehicle stalls that will reduce greenhouse gas emissions and unnecessary fuel consumption has been awarded to the Chicago Transit Authority.
The funding, from the U.S. Dept. of Transportation was announced by Sen. Dick Durbin's office on Friday.
The stalls constructed through this funding will deliver electrical power to up to 80 vehicles and provide services such as heating and air-conditioning to vehicles that would otherwise be left idling during overnight cleaning, a release from Durbin's office said. The electricity provided by the stalls will help reduce diesel consumption and emissions from parked buses in Chicago and suburban areas, which in turn will extend the availability of domestic energy supplies, reduce dependence on foreign sources of oil, and improve air quality, the release said..
"The funding announced ... will help reduce greenhouse gas emissions in Chicago," Durbin said. "As more and more people are choosing to leave their cars at home for their daily commute, helping ensure that public transit is not only affordable and reliable, but also environmentally friendly is the right thing to do."
