Illinois Hemp Farm Nets $480K Grant to Build Electric Vehicle Chargers

A DuPage County hemp farm is among the recipients of $12.6 million in grants to build chargers for electric vehicles. Kerry Farms will receive nearly $480,000 from the Illinois Environmental Protection Agency (IEPA) to build the chargers.  

The funds for the program are part of the 2016 Volkswagen settlement, from which Illinois received about $109 million. In all, the grants will fund 348 new Direct Current Fast Charging (DCFC) ports at 87 locations throughout the state.   

In a statement, Gov. JB Pritzker (D), said the program brings the state “one step closer towards [its] mission of achieving 100% clean energy by 2050.” 

Joe Sheehan, founder and owner of Kerry Farms, told the Chicago Sun-Times that he thinks his company will be able to build six public chargers in high-traffic areas of DuPage, Peoria, and St. Clair counties with the grant. He said he hopes to find a “profitable way to do it” but described the project as a risk “no one else is willing to take.” 

Kerry Farms is the only farm included in the grant program, the other companies include BP Pulse, ChargePoint, Francis Energy, GPM Midwest, Loves Travel Stops, Pilot Travel Centers. Powered Dynamics, Road Ranger, and Universal EV.