Courtesy of ChargePoint

An example of the new ChargePoint power station in the Forest Home garage.

May 3, 2018

University Installs Free Car Charging Station on Campus

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Cornell’s Forest Home Garage was recently selected as one of 11 locations in Tompkins County for installation of a ChargePoint Electric Vehicle Charger.

ChargePoint is “the world’s largest and most open EV charging network,” according to a company press release, and operates as a charging station for electric and hybrid cars.

Cornell University, Ithaca College, the City of Ithaca and the EV Steering Committee were the major decision makers of the installment, according to Gary Cremeens, the coordinator of a recent ChargePoint community outreach event. Cremeens is also the manager of Cornell University Transportation and Delivery Services and a member of the EV Steering Committee.

“As time goes on, by the year of 2025, it will be cheaper to produce an electric vehicle than it is going to be to produce an external combustible engine,” Cremeens said on the push for electric vehicles.

The Electric Vehicle Steering Committee was formed in February 2016 with help of a consultant, Energetics, who evaluated a variety of ways that Tompkins County could install EV charging stations.

After reviewing Energetics’ evaluation, the New York State Energy Research and Development Authority chose Tompkins County to receive 11 ChargePoint stations at no cost to the county.

This is a duplicate project of Monroe County in Rochester, a previous successful case of clean-energy use and electric-vehicle charging station installment, according to the NYSERDA website.

There is no fee to charge at the stations, but parking fees remain the same.

Educational and outreach events concerning the charging station and energy policy will be held throughout 2018, and announcements addressing parking policies will be issued.

The installment of charging stations across Tompkins County is an early step towards the final goal of encouraging local EV adoption and use, according to the University’s sustainable campus website. Electric charging also complies with Cornell’s goal of achieving carbon neutrality by 2035.