(COCC’s Motor Pool includes a fleet of hybrids | Photo courtesy of COCC)
Central Oregon Community College’s (COCC) Redmond campus is held a ribbon-cutting ceremony to celebrate the installation of its new electric vehicle (EV) charging station on October 9.
There will be two level-2 ChargePoint charging ports located in the campus parking lot (with two additional charging stations recently unveiled at the college’s Madras campus) allowing anyone with an electric vehicle to plug in for free. COCC, together with its sustainability committee and 350Deschutes, is working with installer Sunlight Solar to expand options for electric vehicles in rural parts of Central Oregon, thanks to generous funding from Pacific Power.
“Having these charge stations is a big deal,” said Ken Mays, director of COCC’s automotive technology program. “Anyone traveling to the valley has some ‘range anxiety.’ And this is not only for our students and staff, but for members of the public.”
COCC is placing a strong emphasis on electric vehicles these days. The college’s automotive technology program, among its more than 15 certificates and degrees, now includes an associate degree that focuses on electric- and hybrid-power systems. And COCC’s motor pool includes a fleet of hybrid vehicles that college staffers can rent for commuting and conferences.
Two years ago, COCC and Rio Hondo College in California received a $779,000 National Science Foundation grant to jointly implement a national credentialing system for technicians working in the electric-powered automotive world, presently under development.
For more information on the EV charging station, contact Melisse Boyd, grants coordinator, at 541-383-7731. For more information on COCC’s automotive technology program, contact Ken Mays at 541-383-7753.
