Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn has signed two bills into law that aim to increase the use of electric vehicles around the state.
The governor signed the documents Saturday in front of a Walgreens store near downtown Chicago that has a charging station for electric vehicles.
House Bill 2902 creates an electric vehicle advisory council within the administration that will assist in electric vehicle policy development for the state. House Bill 2903 establishes a grant program to help companies, like Chicago-based iGo Cars, to purchase electric vehicles for its fleets. The laws take effect immediately.
"Our goal is to make sure we have the infrastructure to charge electric vehicles because we want to be the electric vehicle capital of the United States, right here in Illinois," said Quinn.
Quinn says electric vehicles will help ease the state's dependence on petroleum and create jobs. He says he hopes to make Illinois an "electric vehicle capital."
