Electric Vehicles on Campus
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I would like to open this forum up to colleges and univerisities that are moving toward phasing out there gas vehicles with more GREEN cost friendly electric vehicles and golf carts. Thoughts and Experiences?
@Adam - have you checked out our resource center list of campus electric vehicle fleets? The campuses on it may be a good place to start. Also, you can check out this blog article we published soon after the release of the above resource: http://www.aashe.org/blog/electric-vehicles-gain-traction-campuses
The resource list is located here (AASHE members-only, so will need to be logged in).
@Peter - you make a good point about needing to consider the source used to charge the batteries.
Recently, at Western Michigan University, we have gotten several new metro transit vehicles shipped in from Turkey. We are planning on powering these vehicles with solar panels that we have recently installed. The other electric vehicles will be powered by energy coming from our gas power plant.
The root of the issue is where your university's power comes from. If you have a coal power plant, it's best to start by looking at alternatives to the energy source rather than looking for energy conservation by electric vehicles.
If you'd like more information on Western's electric vehicles and how they are powered, feel free to contact me.
Nola Wiersma
Assistant to the Manager at Solid Waste Reduction
Western Michigan University
nola.c.wiersma@wmich.edu
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A couple of the local colleges use golf car-type vehicles, and their operation produces less GHG, noise, and exhaust pollution. They have some symbolic value as well.
But are they as sustainable as they seem at first glance? If your campus gets its electricity from sustainable sources, electric vehicles could be an excellent option. If the electricity comes from the grid, however, electric vehicles reduce GHG & other pollution on campus by shifting it somewhere else. [The majority of electrical power in the U.S. is generated using coal or nuclear, so the the vehicles could actually be less sustainable than comparable gasoline-pwered vehicles.]
Peter Crownfield
Campus Sustainability Initiative
Alliance for Sustainable Communities-Lehigh Valley
Bethlehem, PA 18015
<www.sustainlv.org>
610 866-8933 (H)