The Clean Trucks Program will support Illinois fleet operators with $3 million for the new Clean Fleet and Freight Concierge Service and $935,000 from the Diesel Emissions Reduction Act (DERA).
“Illinois EPA is committed to providing our state’s fleet operators with the tools, guidance and financial assistance they need to meet their logistics goals while advancing the state’s climate goals,” said Illinois EPA Director James Jennings. “The Clean Trucks Program will provide individualized support to fleets that may be interested in transitioning from diesel to electric but are unsure where to start. With this program, Illinois EPA will help ensure that all fleet operators, regardless of size, have access to credible information and technical assistance to help them reduce emissions, lower fuel costs, and strengthen Illinois’ clean transportation future.”
The state environmental protection agency says the new investments mark the beginning of its efforts “to combine practical, fleet-specific information with significant financial incentives to address the upfront costs of electrification.”
Qualified companies are now being sought to launch the Concierge Service and support small and medium-sized fleets in the northern and southern regions of the state. The Illinois EPA defines these regions as those primarily served by the PJM and MISO utility networks.
A Notice of Funding Opportunity (NOFO) has been released, announcing that $935,220 in funding will help Illinois fleet operators cover up to 45 percent of the costs associated with replacing Class 5-8 diesel trucks with all-electric options.
At the same time, the state has funded an interactive map of electric charging stations, where electric truck drivers can view more than 450 public electric vehicle charging stations. This includes stations funded by the Illinois EPA’s Driving a Cleaner Illinois Program and the Illinois Department of Transportation’s National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) Program. The map has filters for Tier 2 vs. Tier 3 ports and site types (for DC fast charging), among other items.
As part of Volkswagen’s settlement following the Dieselgate affair, the German auto giant is funding the ninth round, which unlocks up to $18,000,000 in Volkswagen financing for local all-electric Class 4-8 freight trucks. The applications and NOFO can be accessed on the Illinois GATA website.
Illinois has had a number of initiatives to electrify its transportation sector. In 2025, a Seattle district judge ruled that the Trump administration must release funds that had been withheld for the construction of electric vehicle charging stations in 14 states, including California, New York, Illinois and Washington.
epa.illinois.gov
