November 06, 2023

Susquehanna University has installed four publicly accessible electric vehicle chargers on campus.

The EV chargers, produced by SWTCH Energy, are in a parking lot adjacent to the university’s Admission House. Grant Rowe ’23, of Selinsgrove, Pennsylvania, was the driving force behind the effort to install the EV chargers on campus. Rowe recently earned dual bachelor’s degrees in environmental studies and political science and was a tireless advocate and leader for environmental causes while a student at Susquehanna.

“The installation of these chargers addresses a growing need for EV drivers,” Rowe said. “Organizations like Susquehanna will be integral if we want to achieve the goals set forth by the Biden administration of building a national network of electric vehicle chargers. I’m proud that Susquehanna is doing its part.”

Installation of the Level 2 EV chargers was supported by funding from Susquehanna’s Student Government Association, with partial reimbursement from the state Department of Environmental Protection’s Driving PA Forward program.

“A lot of our students are concerned about climate change and want to practice sustainable living,” said Arianna Sivio ’23, former president of SGA. “The SGA sees these EV chargers as investing in a cause that students support, and the SGA approved it unanimously.”

Central Pennsylvania is somewhat of an EV charger desert, said Greg Severyn, assistant professor of Spanish studies and director of sustainability at Susquehanna University. In fact, there is only one other publicly accessible EV charging station in Snyder County.

“I’m very happy that the student body, through their representatives on SGA, is invested in the university’s continued efforts to create a more sustainable future,” Severyn said.

The EV chargers are located in the parking lot adjacent to the university’s Admission House, directly behind the Global Opportunities office. Fees, paid through the SWITCH app, are as follows:

• $1 per hour for the first four hours of charging.
• $2 per hour for the fifth and sixth hours of charging.

An automatic $5 per hour loitering fee will be assessed 45 minutes after your car is fully charged or after 6 hours and 45 minutes of charging. Any non-EV car parked at an EV charging station will be subject to towing.

There are currently more than 3 million EVs on the road and over 130,000 public chargers across the country, but rural areas like central Pennsylvania are still largely in the dark. Susquehanna’s public EV chargers help to increase accessibility for EV owners and reduce range anxiety for drivers throughout the central Susquehanna Valley.

The installation of the university’s EV chargers is the latest example of how Susquehanna holistically approaches sustainability and clean energy. The university is also home to a 14-acre, 12,000 panel solar array that provides 30% of the university’s electricity. When installed in 2018, it was the largest university-sponsored solar array in Pennsylvania. A flock of over 30 sheep from a nearby farm serve as lawn mowers around the solar panels.