3 electric car-charging stations now open on campus

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Beginning this week, drivers will be able to charge their electric vehicles for only $1 per hour at one of eight charging ports in three stations on campus.

Two charging points are in open-access Parking Lot 77 adjacent to the Community Health Services Building, and a set of four are located at open-access Express Lot 4, the new remote parking lot on south Fifth Avenue. An additional two charging ports are located at premier Parking Lot 5A by the Hill Student Center, where all entrants, UAB-affiliated or otherwise, must pay to park. Any car parked in a charging spot in any of the three lots will not be ticketed, regardless of their affiliation to UAB.

Electric vehicle drivers will need to download the free ChargePoint mobile app to use the Electric Vehicle Service Equipment (EVSEs). The stations are capable of fully charging an electric vehicle in four hours.

UAB Parking and Transportation was instrumental in developing the project and will remain involved in operations and management of the system.

EV charging MARKER
The EV parking spots are designated by these markers.

  • 2 charging ports at Parking Lot 5A adjacent to the Hill Student Center
  • 2 charging ports at Parking Lot 77 adjacent to CHSB19
  • 4 charging ports at Express Lot 4, the new remote parking lot on Fifth Ave.
The idea for the project came from School of Medicine student Will Rutland in spring 2015 through an application to the UAB Sustainability Investment Fund, supported by UAB Sustainability and the Division of Student Affairs.

“Our program is here to support investments that further cultivate our campus as a living lab, where we have new technologies that engage and educate the campus and community,” said Julie Price, manager of UAB Sustainability. “EV charging stations are quickly becoming an amenity for staff at large, forward-thinking employers.”

The new charging stations are not the first on campus. The Facilities Division is focused on using more sustainable fleet vehicles, and six EVSEs were installed in 2016 to service its all-electric fleet.

“Electric vehicles reduce emissions in the city center, which is historically an issue in Birmingham,” Price said. “While the electricity generated is generally still coming from fossil fuels, this generation is combined to a single emissions source, outside of the city, that can have better emissions reduction equipment.”

Additional units will be added as demand increases.

Need funding for an idea to make the campus more green?
Grants are available for student-led initiatives to improve campus sustainability. Recent projects include the bike-repair station and electric car-charging stations. Applications are due March 10, and the winners will be announced at the UAB Earth Day Festival April 11. Application instructions are online.