GVSU installs electric vehicle charging stations

Individuals driving electric cars can now charge on one Grand Valley campus and recharge on another.

Grand Valley will install seven electric vehicle charging stations on the Pew Grand Rapids and Allendale campuses throughout the month of November. Five dual and two single charging stations will be installed for a total of 12 possible charging locations.

A demonstration of how the charging stations will work was held in front of the Kennedy Hall of Engineering on November 16. 

“Installation of these stations is in recognition of the growing number of electric vehicles on the road and highlights the university’s ongoing commitment to sustainable endeavors,” said Tim Thimmesch, assistant vice president for Facilities Services at Grand Valley. “We anticipate that more faculty, staff and students will acquire such vehicles in the future.”

Three more stations will be installed on the Pew Grand Rapids Campus in the Seward parking lot and garage, and three stations will be installed on the Allendale Campus by the Fieldhouse and Calder Arts Center.

The charging stations will join the university’s first station that was installed at Grand Valley’s Michigan Alternative and Renewable Energy Center (MAREC) in Muskegon last December.

Grandville-based Excel Electric, Inc. is installing the stations. The ChargePoint stations are provided by ChargePoint America, a regional effort led by the West Michigan Strategic Alliance and West Michigan Energy.

Thimmesch said there will be no cost to use a charging station and the stations will eventually join a universal map of stations in the U.S. “When all the stations are installed at Grand Valley, you can go online or on the ChargePoint iPhone app to see real-time data about the charging stations, like where they are and if a station is occupied,” he said.

Visit ChargePoint America to view the map .