YOU.
>> PARIS, THANK YOU.
>> IT'S EARTH DAY AND IN
WASHINGTON PRESIDENT JOE BIDEN
PLEDGED TO WORLD LEADERS THAT
THE U.S. WILL CUT THE NATION'S
GREENHOUSE GAS EMISSIONS IN HALF
BY 2030.
PART OF THAT RELIES ON A
TRANSITION TO ELECTRIC VEHICLES.
AMANDA VINICKY JOINS US WITH
MORE.
>> ANOTHER PRESIDENTIAL PROMISE
BIDEN VIE VIA EXECUTIVE ORDER
WANTS THE NATION'S FLEETS LIKE
MAIL TRUCKS TO BE CLEAN AND
GREEN.
IT'S NOT JUST THE WHITE HOUSE
THAT IS LOOKING TO REDUCE GAS
GUZZLERS ON THE STREETS AND
HIGHWAYS, GOVERNOR J.B. PRITZKER
SIGNING AN EXECUTIVE ORDER THAT
REQUIRES FUTURE STATE LEASING
AND PURCHASING OF VEHICLES BE
FOR LOW OR ZERO EMISSION
VEHICLES.
ELECTRIC CARS ARE NOT THE
DEFAULT YET.
>> IS IT HAPPENING TODAY?
NO.
BUT WE SEE A BETTER
UNDERSTANDING GROWING.
WE SEE MORE AND MORE MODELS
INTRODUCED AND WE SEE A LOT OF
POLICIES SUPPORT TO GO LIKE
STATES LIKE MASSACHUSETTS AND
CALIFORNIA BANNED THE SALE OF
ENGINES AFTER 2025.
AND GENERAL MOTORS SAY THEY ARE
NOT GOING TO MANUFACTURE ANY
ININTERNAL COUPLE BUGS ENGINES
THERE IS A TREND TOWARDS THAT.
>> RIGHT NOW, HOWEVER, THERE ARE
BUMPS IN THE ROAD.
THE ENVIRONMENTAL LAW AND POLICY
CITY'S SUSAN MADD SAYS SOME OF
THAT WILL CLEAR UP AS ELECTRIC
CARS ARE NORMALIZED.
>> WE'RE ALL USED TO DRIVING TO
GAS STATIONS BUT PEOPLE AREN'T
USED TO THINK ABOUT PLUGGING IN
THEIR CAR OVERNIGHT IN THEIR
GARAGE OR IN FRONT OF THEIR
HOUSE OR IN FRONT OF THEIR
APARTMENT BUILDING.
AS MORE OF THESE ARE LITERALLY
SEEN, PEOPLE WILL UNDERSTAND
IT'S NOT REALLY SUCH A HUGE,
HUGE CHANGE.
>> IT IS A CHANGE, BUT SHE SAYS
A MINOR ONE AND ONE WAY TO CLEAR
THE COAST FOR THAT, MORE CHARGES
STATIONS.
PRESIDENT BIDEN HAS A PROMISE
THERE.
PROMISING A HALF MILLION
CHARGING STATIONS GOING UP
ACROSS THE COUNTRY.
>> THIS WILL BOTH ALLOW DRIVERS
TO PLUG IN BUT IT ALSO WILL
RELIEVE ONE OF THE MAJOR
PROBLEMS RIGHT NOW THAT WE HAVE
FOR ELECTRIC VEHICLES WHICH IS
RANGE ANXIETY.
PEOPLE WHO ARE AFRAID PEOPLE WHO
WANT OR OWN A VEHICLE THEY ARE
NOT SURE THEY CAN GET TO WHERE
THEY NEED TO GO BECAUSE AT THE
OTHER END OF THE TRIP THERE WILL
BE A PLACE TO CHARGE THE CAR.
>> WE MET MEGHA LAKHCHURA AND
THAT IS WHAT THE COMPANY EV BOX
DOES.
IT MAKES CHARGING STATIONS AND
THEY ARE MANUFACTURED IN THE
NETHERLANDS BUT ALSO IN SUBURBAN
LIBERTYVILLE.
I ASKED ARE THE CHARGES STATIONS
USED IN ILLINOIS?
>> WE HOPE SO.
WE HOPE MORE OF THE CHARGERS ARE
USED IN ILLINOIS.
WE ARE BRINGING STATE-OF-THE-ART
TECHNOLOGY HERE WE'RE
MANUFACTURING SUPER FAST
CHARGERS 350 KILOWATT CHARGERS.
ILLINOIS CURRENTLY HAS ALMOST
2,000 CHARGING PORTS.
SO IT NEEDS TO MAYBE INSTALL A
LOT MORE.
>> A WHOLE LOT MORE IN ORDER TO
MAKE GOOD ON THE 2030 GOALS.
OF THE 4.5 MILLION TOTAL CARS
DRIVE ESPECIALLY IN ILLINOIS,
27,000 ARE ELECTRIC BUT THE GOAL
TO HAVE 750,000 ELECTRIC
VEHICLES IN ILLINOIS BY 2030 AND
THAT MEANS ILLINOIS WOULD NEED
ABOUT 98,000 MORE CHARGING PORTS
WITHIN THE DECADE.
DANIEL HORTON IS FOCUSED ON
SOLUTION ORIENTED PROBLEMS IN
WHAT HE DESCRIBES AS THE CLIMATE
CRISIS.
>> 17% OF THE U.S. GREENHOUSE
GAS EMISSIONS COME FROM THE
TRANSPORTATION SECTOR THE
NATURAL REMEDY WOULD STOP
EMITTING CO2 WHILE WE GET AROUND
VIA VEHICLES.
>> ONE OF THE MODELS THAT HE DID
SHOW THAT IF A QUARTER OF
DRIVERS OF LIGHT DUTIES OF THE
NORMAL CARS CONVERTED TO
ELECTRIC VEHICLES, THE U.S.
WOULD SAVE 250 GIGA TONS OF
CARBON EMISSIONS.
THE ADOPTION OF ELECTRIC
VEHICLES IS A NO-BRAINER.
>> IF WE ADOPT ELECTRIC
VEHICLES, OUR CARBON EMISSIONS
WILL GO DOWN.
THEY'LL STILL EXIST IN THE FORM
OF FOSSIL FUEL-BASED ELECTRICITY
GENERATION BUT IT WILL BE MUCH
LESSER THAN THE INDIVIDUAL
VEHICLES THAT PEOPLE DRIVE
TODAY.
>> BUT THERE IS ANOTHER BENEFIT,
TOO.
>> SO IN ADDITION TO EMITTING
CO2 YOUR ENGINE VEHICLE CAN EMIT
PARTICULATE MATTER OR OTHER
POLLUTANTS THAT EVENTUALLY CAN
BE HARMFUL TO BREATHING.
AND SO THE REMOVAL OF THOSE
POLLUTANTS FROM THE TAILPIPES OF
YOUR VEHICLE CAN HAVE
SIGNIFICANT HEALTH BENEFITS TO
SOCIETY.
>> AND SO WE HAVE FOCUSED ON
PERSONAL CARS EFFORTS ARE ON
AFOOT FOR THE TRANSITION IN THE
PUBLIC TRANSIT ARENA.
THIS MONTH, THE CTA DEBUTED NEW
ELECTRIC BUSES AND SUSAN MADD
SAYS THESE ARE QUIETER AND
CLEANER AND THEY HAVE THE BUSES
GOING ON THE CHICAGO AVENUE
ROUTE 66 FROM NAVY PIER TO THE
WEST SIDE.
>> IT GOES ALL THE WAY TO THE
WEST SIDE OF CHICAGO TO
NEIGHBORHOODS THAT HAVE MORE AIR
POLLUTION AND MORE HEALTH
PROBLEMS AND MORE HISTORIC
IMPACT FROM AIR POLLUTION
>> NOW, MEANWHILE, ILLINOIS DOES
HAVE MONEY THAT IS SET ASIDE
FROM THE FEW YEARS BACK THAT
VOKES WEGAN SETTLEMENT USED TO
PURCHASE THE MORE EXPENSIVE
ELECTRIC SCHOOL BUSES.
SO FAR ONLY A HANDFUL HAVE BEEN
PURCHASED.
YOU HAVE THREE USED IN THE
CHICAGO AREA BUT SUSAN MADD SAYS
$10 MILLION THAT CAN BE USED
TOWARDS SOMETHING ALONG THESE
LINES IS SITTING ITEMLE IDLE IN
A FUND AND THEY ARE FRUSTRATED
THEY HAVE NOT SPENT THAT MONEY
TO BUY MORE ELECTRIC SCHOOL
BUSES.
I REACHED OUT AND GOT NO ANSWER
AS TO WHY THAT HAS STALLED.
BY THE WAY, THIS TRANSITION TO
ELECTRIC VEHICLES AS WE NOTED
THERE IS LEGISLATION BEFORE THE
ILLINOIS GENERAL ASSEMBLY AND
NOT EVERYBODY IS ONBOARD WITH
THAT.
NO SURPRISE.
GAS STATION OWNERS HAVE
CONCERNS.
BUT ALSO ONE OF THE MEASURES
WOULD REQUIRE CHARGING PORTS IN
NEW RESIDENTIAL CONSTRUCTION
BUILDINGS AND THAT IS SOMETHING
THAT THE HOME BUILDERS