The university is committed to addressing climate change as part of Transformation 2030 priorities, including reducing CO2 emissions via low carbon energy sources. uOttawa was recognized as a North American leader in sustainable transportationnorth_eastexternal link and is one of the lowest emitting campus' in the U-15 for direct greenhouse gas emissions.
The addition of these Level 2 chargers from the Canadian company FLOnorth_eastexternal link will:
- Cut charging time in half to 6 hours (Level 1 chargers need at least 12 hours for a full charge).
- The chargers will function in temperatures as low as -40 Celsius and as high as +50 Celsius.
- The chargers' safety features ensure cars cannot drive away when plugged in and that the cable cannot be removed from a charging car.
The addition of these charging stations will bring the total of Level 2 units on campus to 24, with the current four in use only available to the facility's fleet vehicles. (Bonnie Findley, University of Ottawa)
The chargers are currently being connected to the campus network which will allow Parking and Sustainable Transportation group, which manages parking on campus, to monitor energy consumption and calculate CO2 reduction. The addition of these charging stations will bring the total of Level 2 units on campus to 24, with the current four in use only available to the facility's fleet vehicles.
The new chargers will be identifiable by the green painted spaces with 6 designated for Desmarais Building, 6 to the Mann Parking Garage and 8 in Parking Lot G3, which is adjacent to under-construction 200 Lees, a new LEED certified, leading-edge building dedicated to health sciences. Since 2012, every building the University of Ottawa has constructed is LEED certified.
Level 2 charging stations charge electric vehicles from a 240-volt system compared to a 120v unit for Level 1 charging. The university also has 10 Level 1 chargers at various points across campus.
Support for this initiative comes through a grant from Natural Resources Canada's Zero Emissions Vehicle Infrastructure Program.
