Electric vehicle charging stations open on Vanderbilts campus

The stations are open to the public and are distributed around Vanderbilt: two in Wesley Place Garage, two in 25th Avenue Garage and one in Terrace Place Garage. These charging stations cost $1 for half an hour or a $10 dollar maximum per day.

Vanderbilt University Medical Center also hosts four charging station, two at Dixie Place and two in Lot 113. Parking and electricity is offered free to users at these stations, but they are limited to two hours a day per vehicle.

The campus stations were donated by Schneider Electric and the VUMC stations are part of a federally-funded project called ECOtality.

CEO of ECOtality Jonathan Read welcomed VUMC to the initiative, which plans to increase electric vehicle infrastructure en masse.

In order to make electric vehicles a reality, people need to be able to charge in places that are convenient to them, including public locations and employment centers, Read said in a statement. VUMC is setting a great example on both fronts by installing ECOtalitys Blink charging stations at their parking facility for use by staff and visitors.

ECOtality plans to install five million charging stations across America by 2013.

Vanderbilt will be contributing more than a drop in the bucket, with plans to construct 15 electric vehicle charging stations, including a solar powered station, by early 2012.