Penn State Brandywine in Media has a new electric vehicle charging station that is open to the public.

The university received a certificate of recognition from the Delaware County Transportation Management Association (DCTMA) for opening the station, writes Katie Chriest for Penn State Brandywine.

“The Brandywine campus is excited to make this equipment available to the community,” said Margaret Buban, director of finance and business at Brandywine. “I’m hoping we can use this acknowledgment as a catalyst to encourage other units at Penn State to advance EV charging station installations.”

EV charging stations are a critical part of the nation’s transition to a clean energy future to mitigate the challenges of climate change, according to Meghan Hoskins, director of operations and partnerships at the Penn State Sustainability Institute.

Electrifying the nation’s fleet of vehicles is only possible when there is widespread infrastructure to allow for vehicle charging. EV charging stations also contribute to Penn State’s decarbonization goals.

Buban was able to order equipment and pay for it within 30 days. Clearing other hurdles —from hiring an engineering firm to designing the electrical pathways to finding the right electrical contractor — proved more challenging, Buban said.

Buban cited support from the Brandywine Office of the Physical Plant, the Brandywine campus sustainability council, and its maintenance team.

The university should receive rebates of $4,000 from PECO Energy Company, its electricity provider, along with $7,000 from Driving PA Forward [a program of the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection]. The rebates almost cover the equipment cost, Burban said.

The project took about 10 months from concept to implementation, with the final turn-up and certification of the EV charging station occurring on April 9.

The station at Brandywine offers EV drivers a charging option off the beaten path at a competitive price.

Now that Brandywine has successfully navigated this process, Buban said she is enthusiastic about sharing what she’s learned with other Penn State units.

“Margaret’s work and Brandywine’s leadership has been really helpful,” Hoskins said. “We have now leveraged this project to apply for federal funding to install stations at many of our other campuses. We were able to use Brandywine’s cost estimates and additional details to create a template for what can happen elsewhere.”

Other Penn State campuses — including Abington, Behrend, Great Valley, Harrisburg, Hazleton, and University Park — either have stations in place or are in the process of installing them.

Read more about Penn State Brandywine’s new electric vehicle charger at Penn State Brandywine.