The University of Tampa announced that four Electric Vehicle (EV) Charging Stations have been installed on the first floor of the Thomas Parking Garage. The new EV charging stations can charge all new eclectic vehicles, including, Chevy Volt, Ford Focus Electric, Honda Fit Eclectic, and the Nissan Leaf.
The first set of Electric Vehicle charging stations were installed in Thomas on September 15.
The charging stations were put into effect on Sept. 15. Two of the four stations have already been activated and are ready for use. The remaining two will be activated as demand dictates.
The charging stations can only be used by UT students, faculty, and community members. Any vehicle without a parking permit or a temporary parking permit will be ticketed.
“We’re pleased to offer this service and we encourage the UT community to utilize the EV stations to charge their electric vehicles, which have less of an impact on the natural environment,” said Juan Soler, UT’s energy manager, in a statement on UT’s website.
Kate Robinson, senior and president of the Environmental Protection Coalition (EPC) said, “The introduction of electric car charging stations is a good step towards a more sustainable campus. I am not aware of how many students or faculty members have electric cars, but even if the number is few, it is still a great step and represents the future of our transportation.”
Some students are happy with the new EV charging stations and the increasing possibilities of being green on campus. Sophomore and sociology major Caitlin O’Brien, who drives an environmentally friendly Smart Car, was excited when she heard about the new EV charging stations.
“I think they’re really important in terms of the environment and I hope UT puts more in,” O’Brien said.
The University of South Florida (USF) had two EV charging stations installed on campus in December 2011.
UTampa has begun offering their students the same opportunity to go green and will consider alternative locations for more EV charging stations as demand dictates, according to a news release by UT on Sept. 15 2014.
In 2013 the United States was eighth in market shares of new EV’s sold with .60 percent being sold in the U.S. Norway was first with 6.10% and the Netherlands was second with 5.55 percent sold. California leads America with over 100,000 plug-in electric vehicles delivered between December 2010 and August 2014, representing about 40 percent of all EV’s sold in the U.S, according to a study conducted by the ABB the global leader in power and automation technologies.
Battery packs are large and expensive, depending on which EV you purchased, and may need to be replaced one or more times. Battery packs are heavy and can take up considerable space in your vehicle. As for charging, a “quick charge” to 80 percent capacity can take 30 minutes and a full recharge can take four to eight hours, according to the U.S. Department of Energy.
Vehicle charging will be free for the month of September. Due to energy awareness month, a four- hour duration charge period is being provided at no cost in October. Starting in November, the fee will be one dollar per hour for the first four hours, and then two dollars per hour for each additional hour.
Claire Jack can be reached at claire.jack@spartans.ut.edu