ForgeAsset / Supercharger ROI / Illinois
Tesla Supercharger ROI in Illinois
Illinois offers a regulator-brokered EV delivery structure with no demand charge, a deregulated supply market with a public price benchmark, and no business personal property tax at all. ForgeAsset models ComEd's watt-hour delivery class election against Illinois's tax stack, with the electricity excise and a supply benchmark folded into the rate.
What makes Illinois economics distinct
A no-demand EV delivery class, guaranteed to 2033
Rather than build a bespoke EV rate, the Illinois Commerce Commission let EV site hosts elect ComEd's existing watt-hour delivery class — per-kilowatt-hour delivery with no per-kW demand charge — guaranteed available through at least September 2033, with make-ready support. That is a structurally site-friendlier approach than most utilities' demand-billed commercial rates.
No business personal property tax, by constitution
Illinois abolished its business personal property tax in 1979 under a state constitutional mandate — not an incentive a legislature can repeal. The replacement is an income-based state tax that never touches site equipment. Charging hardware carries no annual property-tax exposure in Illinois.
Deregulated supply with a public benchmark
Illinois deregulated retail supply in 1997; a large charging site buys competitive supply from a licensed supplier. The Commerce Commission publishes ComEd's Price to Compare — a transparent benchmark against which any contract can be measured. The model uses that benchmark as a documented proxy for a competitive supply contract; it resets on a seasonal cycle.
A clean-fuels standard still forming
Illinois's 2021 clean-energy law funds charging build-out and set a target of one million EVs by 2030. A Clean Transportation Standard — a low-carbon-fuel credit program like California's and Oregon's — has been introduced repeatedly but has not passed. It is a policy tailwind still forming rather than a live revenue line today.
Utilities and tariffs modeled in Illinois
| Utility & tariff | Energy | Demand |
|---|---|---|
| ComEd Watt-Hour EV class | 14.1¢/kWh flat | none (energy-only) |
Rates are digit-verified against each utility's own filed sheets and update within two weeks of any revision. Full derivations are on the methodology page.
Illinois tax profile
- Sales tax on hardware: 10.25%
- Business personal property tax: none
- Clean-fuels credit: no program
- Per-kWh charging excise: none
Illinois tax defaults applied: no clean-fuels credit program exists in Illinois (the LCFS revenue line is $0; a Clean Transportation Standard has been proposed but not enacted), Illinois has no business personal property tax (its income-based replacement, the Personal Property Replacement Tax at 1.5% of partnership net income, is not modeled — like state income tax generally), LLC costs use the $75/yr annual report, and the sales-tax default uses the Chicago combined rate — editable per site. Chicago municipal energy taxes on the power bill (roughly 0.7¢/kWh) are not included in the tariff rate.
Illinois programs and incentives
ComEd watt-hour EV delivery class + make-ready
A per-kilowatt-hour delivery election with no demand charge, available to separately-metered EV charging and guaranteed through at least September 2033, with make-ready infrastructure support. The bundled rate includes a competitive-supply benchmark.
ComEd Beneficial Electrification Plan rebates
A multi-year utility program funding EV incentives — fleet rebates and make-ready rebates up to several hundred thousand dollars per project — approved by the Commerce Commission.
NEVI (federal, IDOT-administered)
Roughly $148 million over the program along I-55, I-80, I-90, and I-94; awards to date span dozens of projects and hundreds of new ports.
Illinois charging market
Illinois carries roughly 78 Supercharger stations, concentrated in the Chicago metro and along I-55, I-80, and I-90/94. Its economics are distinguished by a no-demand EV delivery class guaranteed through 2033 and a constitutional absence of business personal property tax.
Illinois Supercharger ROI — questions
- Does Illinois charge a demand charge on EV charging?
- The modeled structure — ComEd's watt-hour delivery class, elected by separately-metered EV charging — is per-kilowatt-hour delivery with no per-kW demand charge, guaranteed available through at least September 2033. The bundled rate folds in delivery, riders, the electricity excise, and a supply benchmark.
- Does Illinois tax charging equipment as property?
- No. Illinois abolished business personal property tax in 1979 under a constitutional mandate; its replacement is an income-based state tax that is not a per-site cost. The model sets the business-personal-property line to zero for Illinois.
- How is the supply cost modeled in deregulated Illinois?
- Illinois's supply market is competitive, so a large site buys from a licensed retail supplier. The model uses ComEd's published Price to Compare — a Commerce Commission benchmark — as a documented proxy for a competitive fixed-supply contract, which resets seasonally.
Sources
- Illinois Commerce Commission — ComEd EV docket (22-0432)
- Plug In Illinois — ComEd Price to Compare
- Illinois DOR — Personal Property Replacement Tax
- IDOT — Drive Electric NEVI
Model a Tesla V4 Supercharger site in Illinois — payback, NPV, IRR, and a 15-year cash flow from your own inputs.
Run a Illinois scenarioOther states: California, North Carolina, Georgia, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Florida, Arizona, Texas, Virginia, Michigan, Tennessee. Coverage spans twelve states in total — see the full list.
ForgeAsset is software, not investment, tax, or legal advice — outputs are model estimates from your inputs, not guarantees. Rates and programs current as of research; verify current terms with each source before committing capital.