Ameren Illinois Company

Ameren Illinois offers one optional EV time-of-use program, ChargeSmart, which changes only the delivery portion of the bill while the electric supply charges stay the same. Usage during the Preferred Charging Period of 11pm to 7am earns a delivery credit of 2 cents per kWh in summer and 1 cent per kWh the rest of the year, while the single highest one-hour of household usage between 11am and 7pm is billed an extra $0.65 per kWh. Usage from 7am to 11am and 7pm to 11pm carries no credit or added charge. It suits drivers who can reliably charge overnight and avoid stacking heavy loads, such as charging and laundry, in the same daytime hour.

ChargeSmart ties the rate and the incentives together. New enrollees get a $4 monthly bill credit for the first 12 consecutive months to ease the adjustment. The ChargeReady charger incentive, which can cover up to 100% of a Level 2 charger and installation through an Ameren Illinois EV Partner, requires a single-family home, ChargeSmart enrollment, and a community, income, or individual qualifier. FlexCharge is a separate smart-charging program that schedules charging automatically and pays a $50 enrollment incentive plus $10 a month, by email rather than on the bill, and it pairs with ChargeSmart. Businesses, multifamily properties, fleets, schools, transit, and public charging sites can get make-ready allowances of $300 per kW of connected charging load, or $500 per kW in equity or low-income areas, through ChargeReady and ChargeSmart for Business.

Illinois is a deregulated electricity market, so Ameren Illinois bills customers for delivery while their energy supply can come from a competitive supplier or the utility default. That structure is why the EV program touches only delivery charges. Ameren Illinois EV programs sit under Beneficial Electrification plans the Illinois Commerce Commission approved under the Climate and Equitable Jobs Act, which is also why equity-community eligibility shapes which incentives a given address can claim. ChargeSmart, ChargeReady, and FlexCharge are not offered to Ameren Missouri customers.