EV charging stations added to Eastern parking garages
Chargers open to public
Willimantic, CT (12/07/2022) — Eastern is upping its energy sustainability profile with five new car chargers added recently to the six already installed at the Shakespeare and Cervantes garages. The chargers were funded by a federal grant, said Renee Theroux-Keech, director of facilities management and planning. As a condition of funding, the general public must be allowed to use them as well as Eastern students, faculty and staff.
If more EV funding becomes readily available, she said, "We have been exploring electrifying a portion of the Facilities maintenance fleet and would look to locate chargers in areas where the fleet vehicles park."
The 11 chargers installed so far have been getting regular use, she said. Drivers are asked to observe a two to four-hour charging limit. Campus police are aware of the limit and are monitoring it, she said. Charging is free.
"It's timely in that energy costs are going to increase dramatically," said Patricia Szczys, executive director, Institute for Sustainability. Involving students in sustainability is a priority for her, she said, and she envisions future projects for them to track how many EVs are on campus and possibly map charging stations around the county.
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Eastern Connecticut State University is the state of Connecticut's public liberal arts university, serving more than 4,300 students annually on its Willimantic campus. In addition to attracting students from 160 of Connecticut's 169 towns, Eastern also draws students from 31 states and eight countries. A residential campus offering 41 majors and 65 minors, Eastern offers students a strong liberal art foundation grounded in a variety of applied learning opportunities. Ranked among the top 20 public institutions in the North by U.S. News & World Report in its 2022 Best Colleges ratings, Eastern has also been awarded 'Green Campus' status by the Princeton Review 13 years in a row. For more information, visit www.easternct.edu.
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A Tesla charges up in Eastern's Cervantes parking garage