Charging Stations

Electric Car Charging Vs. Trees: Controversy on a University Campus

Charging Stations

Cities across the globe have started installing charging stations for electric cars. Given President Obama’s ambitious goal of placing 1 million electric vehicles on the road by 2015, charging stations will be a necessity on American roads.

Most electric car owners will charge their vehicles behind closed garage doors, but during long trips, public charging stations will be in demand. The future of transportation is looking decidedly electric, but one university found out that not all environmentalists are enthusiastic about it.

Environmental Concern of Stations

At Western Michigan University, Ursula Zerilli reported that nine locust trees were removed from campus so that an electric vehicle charging station could be installed. The 15 charging stalls were powered by solar panels. WMU was the first college in the state to purchase a fleet of electric vehicles, and the project was funded by a $700,000 Clean Energy Coalition grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

Joseph Szuszwalak and Nicholas Wikar, leaders of the group Students for a Sustainable Earth (SSE), protested the removal of the trees. Szuszwalak claimed that removing the trees to make the campus more sustainable was counterproductive.

"The students could be working together to ensure we do have a sustainable campus, but now we have to pick and choose. When you look at the carbon being sequestered, it actually is better than what the trees can do on their own, but if you wanted to be sustainable, you would have kept the trees and supplemented them with panels."

The two students claimed that the charging stations were another example of WMU “green-washing,” meaning that the university claimed it was a step forward in green sustainability without actually taking action.

In a letter to the Kalamazoo Gazette, Katherine Binder, a graduate student, refuted the allegations of the SSE. She noted that different locations for the solar panels had been researched and rooftops considered. However, because of snow accumulation in the winter, the solar panels would have to be positioned vertically and thus becoming a hazard in high winds. She also pointed out that the trees in question were Honey Locusts, an invasive species not native to Michigan.

“More importantly, WMU has a long-standing policy that requires two trees to be planted for every one taken. Meaning that eighteen trees will be planted in the spring and this project results in a net gain of nine healthy, well-located, non-invasive campus trees.The planned solar panels will help provide electric car owners with substantially cleaner energy than what they would use at home. The panels will also be part of the campus electrical grid, normally powered by WMU's natural gas plant.”

Resolution

Keeping both sides of the issue in mind, WMU administration worked diligently to address the protests of the environmentally concerned as well as the voices of its students. The charging stations and solar panels were installed and new trees have been scheduled to be planted in the spring.

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Chris Keenan is a green and general blog writer. He writes for many sites including Precision Garage Door. Chris also maintains a personal house and garden blog.

New Electric Car Charging Modules

Will WattStations Make Owning Electric Cars More Attractive?

WattStations are the new electric car charging "modules" designed by GE and Yves Behar. These chargers will start appearing in cities (and hopefully homes) in 2011, and promise to charge a car batter in 4-8 hours, which is not only a huge improvement over "level 1" charging technology (12+ hours) but will be perfect for commuters who can charge their cars during the work day.

These stations are simple plastic and aluminum posts that house a long cord that plugs directly into your vehicle (Nissan is already on board to create cars with compatible plug-ins). The station will also have a LED screen that glows blue when the station is in use, green when a station is available, and red when the station is out of service (recharging, broken, etc). Eventually, GE hopes that these stations will also be able to double as parking meters, and possibly even be tailored to each city, for a "local loyalty" type theme.

GE obviously has high hopes for this technology, and if their claim is true that for every 10,000 users, 33,000 metric tons of CO2 will not escape into the atmosphere, many people concerned for the environment have high hopes, too. But are the WattStations really the answer to the electric car problem? 

Obviously, only time will tell how popular the WattStations become. There was also a lot of high hopes for the GM EV1 electric car, which was something of a spectacular failure. But if GE's claims are true, the WattStation might be the technology change the electric car needs. 

WattStations promise quick charging, which is a huge concern for electric car users. If you can't charge a car as easily as pumping gas, users will stick to gasoline "technology" - there will be no incentive for them to switch. While 4-8 hour charging might not be feasible for people who drive a lot for work and need a gas-pump-quick charge, technology promises that these advances may not be far around the corner. Remember, there was a time when detractors claimed you'd never be able to charge a car batter in four hours.

Placement is also a huge plus for the WattStation. They should be implemented in cities across the nation in 2011, which is exactly where new technology tends to get the best start. GE also promises that home charging stations will be available for sale, and that they should be implemented just like a vacuum cleaner - an item that is easily stored away and was slowly adopted until it was in homes everywhere. 

Technology has a long history of being the answer to social and health problems, the way the "horseless carriage" improved sanitary conditions in cities, and many people are looking to the GE WattStation to be that push carbon-free cars need. Even if the WattStation dies a quiet death, it is certainly a good step onto the path of ecologically-friendly living.

Joy Paley is a guest blogger for My Dog Ate My Blog and a writer on Accredited Online Colleges for Guide to Online Schools.