Electric & Vehicles, EV Charging and High Efficiency Vehicle Parking
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For those seeking 100% clean power for their vehicle, we have good news. The college installed a solar-powered, 4-port Level 2 charging station at the Hollander Hall parking lot.
The station relies 100% on solar PV power, is not grid-connected, and can generate enough electricity to add up to 240 miles of range across its four ports on a sunny summer day. It complements the college's grid-connected ChargePoint stations.
Photo of a Solaflect Charging Station (courtesy of Solaflect, https://www.solaflect.com/ev-charging) Are you interested in becoming a user?
The four "parking + charging" spaces will become available starting July 1, 2025.
The spaces will be leased to faculty and staff for 12 months. Users receive 2 RFID cards to access the station and can share "their spots" with other faculty and/or staff depending on their usage needs.
Two information sessions coming up:
- Monday, June 16, 12-12:45pm (meeting link: meet.google.com/ruz-hbzx-pxa)
- Wednesday, June 18, 5:15 – 6pm (meeting link: meet.google.com/wca-nvzo-gdb)
We have also compiled some information to help you learn more about how this EV charging station operates and if it might be a good solution for your charging needs.
- Here is are the slides from a presentation by the station developer
- Here is brief Information Sheet about the station, how it operates, pricing, and some questions that help you determine if it could be a good fit for you.
- A list of FAQs, including on pricing, is shown below.
Ready to sign up? Then please fill out this very short Google Form. Depending on interest, we will run a lottery for the four spots.
How does the station work?
The Solaflect station uses a 6.24kW dual axis solar PV array that tracks the sun and generates electricity to charge vehicles plugged into one to four of its charging ports. The tracking array increases power generation by up to 40% compared with fixed arrays.
The reliance on solar irradiance means that electric power generation is variable, although a small battery ensures that the system does not turn on and off too frequently, thereby extending its lifespan.
Where is the Solaflect station?
The station is located on the Hollander Hall parking lot.
Why are you assigning the charging spots instead of using the first-come-first-serve model at the ChargePoint stations?
Due to the variability in the station's solar power generation, we cannot guarantee a certain output in the same way that we can for the grid-connected ChargePoint stations, especially over short durations. It is instead preferable to plug in vehicles for longer time periods, say the full work day. Therefore, the college uses a “leasing model” where the four "parking + charging" spots are assigned to specific users—your own reserved parking and charging spot for the duration of the 12-months "lease"!
How long will the lease be?
The "lease" is for a full 12-month period, July 1 - June 30, to provide the users with a full 12-month cycle of solar power.
How do you assign leases?
Are you a current Williams employee (faculty or staff)? Then sign up to show your interest in securing 1 of the 4 spots! If we have more interest than spaces, we will hold a lottery among interested faculty and staff and assign spots as soon as the station is installed and operational.
What is the leasing cost for a spot?
Users will be charged a $30 per month flat fee, which is comparable to the fees charged at the ChargePoint stations on a per kWh basis (NOTE: if the college's electricity costs change substantially, both the ChargePoint and Solaflect rates might be adjusted accordingly, up and down).
What happens if fewer than 4 vehicles are actively charging?
The Solaflect station always divides current power output equally among plugged-in vehicles. For example, if two vehicles are actively charging, each receives 50% of the electricity generated.
Is the Solaflect station a good choice for me?
The Solaflect charging station offers a different way of EV battery charging than the ChargePoint stations. Here are some questions to ask yourself when deciding if you want to become a user.
- Do you like having your own reserved parking + charging spot?
- Do you like that the electricity for your vehicle comes 100% from carbon-free solar power?
- Is the station's location at Hollander Hall Parking Lot suitable for you?
- Are you ok with not knowing exactly how many kWh your vehicle's battery will receive? (Note: You can also use the ChargePoint stations to complement your solar-powered charging as needed.)
- Are your average charging needs aligned with the expected output of the station? For example, if you typically only need to add a few miles of range, the monthly leasing cost might translate to a comparatively high per kWh cost. On the other hand, if you need to reliably add 60 miles or more to your vehicle’s battery while you are on campus, the Solaflect station is less likely to consistently deliver that range compared with the ChargePoint stations. Similarly, if you are not often on campus for much of the year, your cost per kWh is also going to be comparatively high (you could, however, consider sharing the spot and its cost with somebody else).
How do you ensure that nobody else is using my assigned spot?
Lottery winners will receive an RFID card for unlocking the charging plug at their designated spot and charge their vehicle’s battery. Without the card, charging is not possible. If, nonetheless, an unauthorized vehicle is parked in the spot, contact Campus Safety.
What if I’m not on campus for the full 12 months or work partially remotely during the week?
You can make arrangements to share the spot with others by sharing the RFID cards. You will be considered the designated user of the spot by the college and be responsible for the monthly lease fee.
If you have more questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to the Zilkha Center for the Environment (Tanja Srebotnjak, [email protected]).
High Efficiency Vehicle Parking
High Efficiency Vehicle (HEV) parking spaces were created on campus to meet certain credit requirements for LEED certified building projects. Although LEED no longer has this specific HEV credit, we are retaining the HEV parking spaces and continue to encourage people to think about fuel efficiency and emissions when they drive and purchase cars.
You can find the HEV parking locations, which require a special parking sticker (see below), on the interactive campus map. Please note that the campus map marks both HEV parking and EV charging stations with the same symbol—click on the pin to see which are offered at that location.
To obtain the HEV parking sticker,
- Check that your car meets the updated HEV policy;
- Present the vehicle registration information to DeeDee Lewis at the ’66 Environmental Center, who will verify your vehicle is eligible and issue a HEV sticker;
- Vehicles displaying this decal adjacent to the standard Williams parking permit are permitted to park in the preferred spaces.