CU Boulder recently activated 16 new electric vehicle (EV) charging ports in the Folsom parking garage, elevating the university to 50 EV charging ports on campus. Included in these new charging stations are the university鈥檚 first two EV spots that are designated for ADA parking spaces.
Of the university鈥檚 50 charging ports, 44 are for public parking and six spots are for CU Boulder fleet vehicles. The public charging ports are spread out across Main and East campuses and are open to parking permit holders and visitors, depending on the lot designation.
鈥淭his is an exciting milestone and just one example of the cross-campus collaboration that is occurring as we strive to reduce the university鈥檚 carbon footprint,鈥� said David Kang, vice chancellor for infrastructure and sustainability.听
The new EV charging ports, and all of the public campus spots, are marked on the and can be found on CU Boulder鈥檚 campus map.
The first EV charger was installed near the Wolf Law building in late 2010. In 2016, the growth of CU Boulder's EV program was accelerated thanks to a grant from . This funding was able to cover the cost of 14 charging ports on East Campus, with four at the Jennie Smoly Caruthers Biotechnology Building (JSCBB) and 10 at the Sustainability, Energy and Environment Community (SEEC).
In 2017, CU Boulder's Parking Services received the "Wired Workplace" award from the and the thanks to their advancement of electric vehicle charging infrastructure on campus.
The collaborative work of Parking Services, Transportation Services, the Environmental Center, Wolf Law, SEEC, Biotech and the Norlin Library combined with funding of more than $150,000 from multiple Charge Ahead Colorado grants has led CU Boulder to this significant milestone of 50 EV charging ports.
鈥淕etting to 50 EV charging ports on the CU Boulder campus could not have been accomplished without the work of so many campus partners,鈥� said Tom McGann, director of CU鈥檚 parking services. 鈥淲e are proud to do our part to support the university鈥檚 environmental initiatives.鈥�
Electrifying transportation is crucial for both Colorado and CU Boulder to attain their greenhouse gas emissions reduction goals. Transportation currently accounts for one-third of Northern Colorado's greenhouse gas emissions, which puts the state in non-compliance with听. In metro Denver, driving an EV today is the equivalent of getting 50 miles per gallon based on carbon emissions, which will only increase as Xcel Energy's power generation mix shifts to more wind and solar.
For more information and resources for EV charging on campus visit the Parking & Transportation Services EV webpage.
