A Wally’s site in Pontiac, Illinois, and two Casey’s stores in McHenry and Vernon Hills are three of five locations where IONNA launched charging stations, or “rechargeries,” across Illinois on Wednesday.
Wally’s has 10 charging bays. While the two locations at Casey’s, an Ankeny, Iowa-based convenience-store chain, have six each, with power provided by ComEd.
- Casey’s General Stores Inc. is No. 3 on CSP’s 2025 Top 202 ranking of convenience-store chains by store count.
The launch also includes six charging bays with power provided by ComEd in Hanover Park, Illinois, and 10 charging bays with power provided by energy company Ameren in Gilman, Illinois.
Six additional IONNA charging sites in Springfield, Chicago, North Aurora, St. Charles, Arlington Heights and Des Plaines are either contracted or scheduled to go live, IONNA said.
“Wally’s—the Home of the Great American Road Trip—is proud to partner with IONNA to bring EV charging to Pontiac, strengthening the Midwest travel corridor while delivering the convenience, comfort and reliability our guests expect,” said Michael Rubenstein, St. Louis-based Wally’s co-founder and CEO.
Other convenience-store chains that have partnered with IONNA include Altoona, Pennsylvania-based Sheetz and Wawa, Pennsylvania-based Wawa.
EV growth in Illinois
The State of Illinois has fought to ensure federal resources are delivered as promised, securing the release of critical funding for the National Electric Vehicle Infrastructure (NEVI) grants, according to the Office of the Governor.
So far, a total of $148 million has been allocated to the Illinois Department of Transportation (IDOT) to deliver the NEVI program in Illinois. To date, IDOT has awarded $43.8 million in NEVI grants for 62 projects throughout the state, which will facilitate the construction of 349 new charging ports, the governor’s office said.
“Whether you’re headed out on a long-range road trip, taking the kids to school or on the job site, EV ownership should be easy, affordable and reliable,” said Illinois Gov. JB Pritzker, who attended the ribbon cutting for the Wally’s location. “Here in Illinois, we’ve put shoulder to the wheel to get the EV industry off the ground, and we’ve seen significant investments in our state as a result. Over the next few years, Illinois’ EV ecosystem will continue to grow—creating more quality jobs, building out more charging infrastructure and making EVs an even more accessible and affordable option for our families.”
As federal EV tax credits are no longer available, Illinois continues to operate its own state EV rebate program. Illinois’ EV rebate program—which delivers a check to eligible purchasers—includes $4,000 for low-income Illinoisans, $2,000 for others purchasing an EV and $1,500 for electric motorcycles.
Illinois now has 162,375 battery electric vehicles on the road, and 2025 saw a 32.5% increase in battery electric vehicles, the governor’s office said.
In 2025 alone, the state added 411 new public charging locations, bringing the number of fast-charging ports to approximately 2,300 statewide, according to the governor’s office.
While grants have been instrumental in promoting charging, nearly half of these new charging locations—including IONNA—opened without federal or state grant support, demonstrating strong private-sector confidence in Illinois’ EV market, the governor’s office said.
IONNA is a joint venture founded by eight global automakers, deploying EV fast charging infrastructure nationwide. IONNA’s charging stations are accessible to all-electric vehicles with North American Charging Standard or Combined Charging System connectors.
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