Pellissippi State Community College has demonstrated its continued efforts toward sustainability and environmental stewardship with the recent addition of new electric vehicle charging stations at two of its campuses.
David Walton, director of Facilities at Pellissippi State, announced last month that the charging stations are now available at the Pellissippi Campus on Hardin Valley Road and the Magnolia Avenue Campus. There are two at each site.
“We’re proud to help lead the way in providing these stations in the Knoxville area,” Walton said.
Pellissippi State received the 2010 Governor’s Environmental Stewardship Award last June for its collegewide sustainability and environmental efforts. The two-year institution has four sites: the Pellissippi Campus, Magnolia Avenue Campus and Division Street Campus in Knox County, and the Blount County Campus.
The opening of the stations represents the college’s involvement in the EV Project. Project managers at clean energy technology innovator ECOtality describe the project as “the largest deployment of electric vehicles and charge infrastructure in history.”
In August 2009, the federal government awarded ECOtality a $99.8 million grant to embark on the EV Project. The program, which is sponsored by the U.S. Department of Energy, began in October of that year. With partner matches, the total value of the project is approximately $230 million.
Walton represented the college at an initial presentation about the EV Project and submitted an application for Pellissippi State to receive the stations.
“I think being in the early part of the process and being a college gave us an advantage over the many other businesses applying,” Walton said.
At Pellissippi State, anyone with a vehicle compatible with the station may use it. The Chevy Volt and Nissan Leaf can be charged, and the manufacturers of both electric vehicles are partners in the EV project. For now there is no cost to the users.
Under the federal grant, Pellissippi State pays for the electricity the first year in exchange for having the stations provided and installed at no charge at the two campuses. The initial stations will be monitored to track usage and help determine placement and marketing of future stations. The charging stations will track data such as frequency, times and duration of use.
Walton currently is negotiating with ECOtality to bring charging stations to the Blount County Campus as well.
For more on the EV Project, see www.theevproject.com. To learn more about Pellissippi State and its programs, visit www.pstcc.edu or call (865) 694-6400.