The Toy Box Go Electric on any Budget
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Go electric with a few of the things on your ever- growing to-do list. Let the gadgets, gizmos and robots do the tough work for you.
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E-Bike + GPS Lock
The city of Chicago was designed for this with the grid layout, the lakefront path and the relatively flat terrain. The area is all set up for a two-wheeled commute, and an e-bike just makes all of it better. The pedal assist handles the headwind off the lake without making you feel like you earned a nap, and most models easily cover a cross-city round trip. Pair it with a GPS-enabled smart lock that tracks your bike in real time and alerts your phone if anyone tampers with it. And biking allows you to keep that killer parking spot the whole block has had their collective eyes on.
The commute upgrade that also doubles as a pretty good excuse to skip the gym.
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Robot Lawn Mower
It maps your yard, avoids your dog, cuts your grass, then docks itself to charge when it’s done, all while you do literally anything else. It starts every time without a pull cord, a prayer or a trip to the small engine repair shop that’s somehow always backed up. It handles the whole job quietly, which your neighbors on both sides will appreciate more than they’ll ever admit.
The robot vacuum for your yard, except it actually works on the first try.
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Electric Pizza Oven
Chicago has opinions about pizza. So, hear us out. The new generation of electric outdoor pizza ovens reaches 850 degrees, cooks a pie in about 60 seconds and plugs into a standard household outlet. No propane tank, no open flame on the deck, just a rotating stone floor, convection heating elements above and below, and a finished crust that holds its own in any deep-dish-versus-thin-crust debate.
The only appliance that makes you look like a professional without any of the culinary school debt.
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Electric Snowblower
Nobody is missing the pull cord, the gas can in the garage or wrestling a machine to life at 6 a.m. in February while the lake wind does what it does. A modern, battery-powered snowblower handles your driveway on a single charge, starts with a button and runs quietly. Which gives you time to think about what you’re going to do with all the time you just got back from not fussing with a gas engine.
The machine that starts the first time. Every time. In February. That’s the whole pitch.
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Electric Vehicle
Today’s EVs accelerate fast, handle northern Illinois winters better than they get credit for and cost a fraction of the price per mile compared to gas. And right now, the timing is interesting. The federal EV tax credit ended last year, sending prices down as automakers scrambled to move inventory—
some models dropped nearly $10,000. The used market followed. For anyone who’s been on the fence, the math is worth a fresh look. The most exciting upgrade in your garage has four wheels and zero tailpipes.
Charge At Home, Get Paid Back
Most EV owners charge overnight at home—
- Up to $750 back on purchase and installation for qualifying ComEd residential customers.
- Up to $2,500 for customers who are low income or live in a Low Income Community or Equity Investment Eligible Community.
- Installation must be completed by a ComEd-approved Electric Vehicle Service Provider.
- You’ll need to enroll in a time-variant rate such as ComEd’s Hourly Pricing, ComEd’s Delivery Time-of-Day, or a time-variable rate from an alternative retail electric supplier, for a minimum of three years.
