Electric Vehicle Stations Bring Ecofriendliness to Campus
Photo by Madison Lisowski ‘23
The start of a new year and semester comes with new upgrades to campus, one being the implementation of electric vehicle parking spaces.
Justin Butwell, Director of the Physical Plant, and Caleb Davis ‘24 were two of the many influential voices on this project. Davis in particular handled the initial research on how to obtain the charging stations.
Marist decided to transform 16 parking spaces throughout campus into exclusive “Electric Vehicle Parking,” with eight charging stations.
“We didn't do too many [charging stations] because we didn't want a complaint for a loss of spaces, but it was important to start adding them now,” said Davis.
Charge Point, the company that is responsible for the product and installation owns over 65% of electric vehicle charging stations in the country. This particular company was selected after extensive research by the Physical Plant and after Marist was able to receive the “Central Hudson Make it Ready Grant.”
Because of this grant, Marist was able to fund these eight stations for about $74,000. On average, one singular station can cost anywhere from $30,000 to $100,000, according to Watt Logic.
Apparently, EV charging stations have been a request at Marist for years now, with the demand growing exponentially over time. While the official number of EVs at Marist is unknown, there are a large group of staff members that commute to campus with one, along with a handful of students who originally were struggling to find a charging station nearby.
The original plans of the project included having them ready to use for the previous semester, but delays with the town of Poughkeepsie caused the project to get pushed back.
“It definitely took longer than we had wanted, but as soon as we had approval, we got right to work,” Butwell said.
The installation of the charging stations were completed over winter break. Butwell is hopeful that the upcoming week will include the activation of the stations, which is the final step of the project. After they are activated, anyone with an electric vehicle will be able to charge their car in the following parking lots: Midrise, Tennis Court/Lower Fulton, Steel Plant and 51 Fulton.
“Midrise was specifically for prospective families coming for visits, while Steel Plant and 51 fulton were intended more for staff and faculty charging. The tennis court lot would be for resident students, however anyone with an EV is able to use any location,” said Butwell.
From this point on, spots that are specifically labeled for electric vehicle parking will not allow parking for a fuel-run vehicle, nor will it allow electric vehicles to park while they are not currently charging. Spots will be clearly marked with signs. Furthermore, the Physical Plant has plans to paint the spots when it gets warmer so that they stand out, similar to handicapped parking spaces.
Despite the loss of sixteen parking spots in addition to the current construction on the Dyson lot, there has only been positive feedback on this project.
“[Charging stations] are not just as easy and common as gas stations,” Butwell expressed. While Marist is starting small with the number of EV charging stations, we are still making extreme progress in terms of eco-friendliness, finances and convenience to students and staff.