Learn how ComEd’s pilots are advancing transportation electrification.
ComEd’s BE Plan 1 was established in May 2023 (per the Final Order by Illinois Commerce Commission Docket Nos.22-0432 and 22-0442) and allocated $5 million annually to implement eight pilot programs, referred to collectively as the BE Pilots. ComEd developed a process for selecting and scoring pilot ideas, then a broad stakeholder process was conducted to solicit input for pilot design. ComEd’s eight BE Plan 1 pilots were then implemented through 2024-2025. Information on these pilots is found in the table at the bottom of the page.
The Final Order in ComEd’s BE Plan 2 proceeding, Illinois Commerce Commission (“Commission” or “ICC”) Docket Nos. 24-0484 and 24-0577, Cons., dated March 27, 2025 (“Final Order”), specifies a budget of $55.9 million annually, on average, over the three-year period of the BE Plan, 2026 through 2028. Of this $55.9 million annual total, the Commission allocated $3.7 million annually, on average, to 1) complete the eight BE Plan 1 pilots, 2) extend technical demonstration efforts during Plan 2, or 3) to develop new BE Pilot proposals for any future BE Plan filings.
Based on these outcomes, ComEd is now offering the options below for participating in Beneficial Electrification Plan 2 Pilots.
Review open Requests for Proposals (RFPs) from the ComEd Beneficial Electrification team. All RFPs will require interested parties to submit an intent to bid by a date specified in the schedule along with any questions they have on the RFP. All submitted proposals will be reviewed and scored by a group of team members and subject matter experts from Customer Innovation Administration and ComEd Clean Energy Solutions. Established scoring criteria will be used to score each proposal based on the specific requirements outlined in the RFP.
ComEd is now accepting ideas on a rolling basis for BE Plan 2. Pilots should fall into one of the eight BE Plan focus areas and should build off the work completed in the BE Plan 1 pilots. This may take the form of scaling or advancing Plan 1 concepts or technologies, the creation of new EV- or grid-related service offerings, or a new technology or concept. Submitters may submit ideas outside of these focus areas, but such submissions would be considered as part of the next BE Plan Pilot cycle, BE Plan 3.
| Project | BE Plan | Project Type | Customer Segment | Pilot Start Date | Pilot End Date | Report Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Air Quality MonitoringA collective of academic researchers and air quality experts will collect hyperlocal granular air quality readings in select EIEC neighborhoods across the city of Chicago. Target locations for this pilot include Pilsen, Little Village, and the Southeast side of Chicago. Monitoring will run throughout 2025 with data being accessible on a monthly basis. The goal is to identify where the need for electrification is greatest and where to prioritize investments to improve public health and quality of life. Learn More | Plan 1 | Field Tests & Demonstrations | Crosscutting | Feb 2025 | Dec 2025 | View PDF |
Backup Power CapabilitiesThe objective of this pilot is to conduct comprehensive market research and analysis to study technologies that enable the use of an EV’s bi-directional capabilities, such as vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology, to evaluate their readiness for adoption. Learn More | Plan 1 | Market Characterization | Crosscutting | May 2025 | Feb 2026 | View PDF 1 View PDF 2 View PDF 3 |
Curbside ChargingDemonstrate a modular and scalable curbside charging model that practically addresses gaps in electric vehicle charger access while optimizing cost, efficiency, and grid operation. The pilot also aims to develop best practices in equitable implementation, construction practices, and municipal collaboration. Learn More | Plan 1 | Scaled Field Demonstrations | Commercial and Industrial | Jun 2025 | Apr 2026 | View PDF |
Electric Vehicle Energy Management System (EV EMS)Test the ability of EV EMS software demand monitoring and load control technologies to regulate the capacity of an (L2) electric vehicle (EV) charger to ensure the maximum load of the EV supply equipment (EVSE) does not exceed the available capacity of the home’s main circuit panel. Learn More | Plan 1 | Field Tests & Demonstrations | Residential Single Family Home | Feb 2025 | Oct 2025 | View PDF |
Residential Optimized ChargingExamine the feasibility and incremental benefits of allowing customers to passively modify their level of charge by opting to allow the vendor/utility to actively manage their customer’s level of charge within a charging session to optimize demand savings and reduce grid impacts while ensuring the customer’s electric vehicle (EV) experience is not diminished. Learn More | Plan 1 | Field Test | Residential | Feb 2025 | Sep 2025 | View PDF |
RideshareDevelop a carsharing program that provides EV access to low-income and EJ/R3 customers by addressing cost barriers and promoting familiarity. The pilot placed vehicles in transit-, work-, and residence-adjacent locations to enable households to own fewer cars while serving everyday transportation needs. Learn More | Plan 1 | Scaled Field Demonstrations | Commercial and Industrial | Mar 2025 | Dec 2025 | View PDF |
School Bus Vehicle-to-GridAssess and demonstrate the viability of implementing vehicle-to-grid (V2G) technology with electric school buses (ESBs) and showcase the technology’s potential to leverage ESBs as viable energy storage sources while achieving balance on the grid. Learn More | Plan 1 | Field Tests & Demonstrations | Commercial and Industrial | May 2025 | Nov 2025 | View PDF |
SubmeteringUnderstand and evaluate the feasibility of using the capabilities inherent in electric vehicle supply equipment (EVSE) to act as a submeter for utility billing purposes, establishing a preferred set of standards and criteria to qualify chargers as submeters with sufficient accuracy for ComEd billing. Learn More | Plan 1 | Market Characterization | Crosscutting | Jan 2025 | Sep 2025 | View PDF |
School Bus Vehicle-to-GridBuilding upon the outcomes of the Plan 1 pilot, this effort will field test a more concentrated set of ESB V2G assets at a single site, with multiple chargers interconnected on the same transformer where discharging battery storage can significantly offset the connected transformer’s capacity. This focused deployment will enable controlled testing of V2G performance under utility dispatch, quantification of impacts to battery state of health, and evaluation of charging infrastructure, facilities, and local feeder conditions. | Plan 2 | Scaled Field Demonstrations | Commercial and Industrial | May 2026 | Late 2027 | |
Pole-Mounted Electric Vehicle ChargingBuilding upon the design, outcomes, and learnings from the BE Plan 1 pilot, we are conducting a new curbside charging pilot called the Pole-Mounted Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot. We are seeking proposal submissions for an evaluator of this pilot. This field test will assess the ability for these charger configurations to provide improved access to charging utilizing existing lampposts and utility poles, remove barriers to electric vehicle ownership for those who may not have access to at-home charging, and aim to find ways to achieve these goals with less complexity and time spent. | Plan 2 | Field Tests & Demonstrations | Crosscutting | May 2026 | 2027 | |
Residential Optimized Charging Vehicle-to-GridBuilding on the findings of the Plan 1 ROC project, ComEd is now exploring the next phase of residential managed charging, including the integration of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) capabilities. While managed charging focuses on optimizing the timing and rate of EV charging, V2G enables bi-directional power flow, allowing participating EVs to discharge energy back to the grid during peak periods or grid events. | Plan 2 | Field Tests & Demonstrations | Residential Single Family Home | May 2026 | Late 2027 | |
Rideshare Needs and Gaps AssessmentThis project seeks insight from a data-driven market and grid assessments to quantify where high “for-hire” (rideshare) or ”for-use” (carshare) vehicle activity and transportation demand intersect with electric mobility barriers such as limited charging access, constrained hosting capacity, and/or constrained feeders or transformers. | Plan 2 | Market Characterization | Crosscutting | May 2026 | Late 2026 |
