Electric vehicle charging stations ready for use

Darlene Petkwitz charges her electric car.BOWLING GREEN, O.—Three electric vehicle charging stations are now up and running around Bowling Green State University’s campus. These locations are in addition to the three charging stations in downtown Bowling Green.

The BGSU charging stations are located at:

• Parking lot 8 (behind the Falcon Heights residence hall, on the corner of East Merry and Thurstin Street)

• Parking lot E (next to the BGSU Heat Plant and railroad tracks, across the street from Bowen-Thompson Student Union on Thurstin Street)

• Parking lot 20 (just south of the BGSU Welcome Center)

The hope is that the stations will attract more electric vehicles to the area.

“If we want to encourage a green revolution, we need to give people easy ways to reduce their carbon footprint,” said Tony Palumbo, director of the BGSU Electric Vehicle Institute. “By strategically placing charging stations throughout campus for easy, free access to the entire Bowling Green community, we are providing ‘opportunity charging’ so people can charge their cars while they conduct other University or community business.”

Anyone with an electric vehicle can park in the space next to the station and hook the charger to the car. Charging is free.

Darlene Petkwitz, a certified public accountant in Bowling Green, just purchased a Think North America electric car last Friday. “It’s designed to be an urban car for short commutes, so it’s been great for zipping around the community,” she said.

Petkwitz loves the convenience of new charging stations around BGSU. “I not only have meetings on campus, but also enjoy events at the Stroh Center. I look forward to plugging in my car at the station by the Visitor’s Center, enjoying a great game, and then coming out to my car being fully charged.”

The stations were paid for through a grant from Clean Fuels Ohio and the U.S. Department of Energy. The BGSU Green Initiatives Fund covered the matching portion of the grant.

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(Posted July 18, 2012 )