By Arishna Lastinger

In 2018, Auburn University was selected as one of many Alabama universities to receive electric vehicle (EV) charging stations that would be supplied and installed free of charge by the Alabama Power Company. Alabama Power funded the charging stations with a grant and did not place a limit on how many stations the university could install. After identifying where the best locations for charging stations would be, Auburn decided to have 14 charging stations installed around campus.

Level II EV charging stations were installed; these operate with a power supply similar to your home washer or dryer at 240 volts and are more affordable than DC fast charging, but offer more power and range than Level I charging. Typically, a Level II EV charging station can supply up to 70 miles or range per hour and can fill up most electric vehicles in around two hours.

To increase campus buy-in, Parking Services placed an incentive for owning an electric vehicle: Anyone with an electric vehicle can purchase his or her regular campus parking permission at a reduced rate. While there is a four-hour limit, there is no additional charge for any student or faculty/staff member with a valid parking permission to use the charging stations. Our goal is to encourage those with electric vehicles to drive them knowing they can charge them on campus and not just at home. We also hope the new charging stations will encourage faculty/staff and students to make their next car purchase electric vehicles.

Arishna Lastinger is manager of parking operations at Auburn University