About
Fleet electrification is driving two major benefits across transportation: saving money and reducing emissions. A few leaders are moving forward quickly and at scale. They are the tip of the spear and are establishing best practices as they discover them. Colleges and universities, with their passionate stakeholders and public facing commitments to environmental stewardship, are an optimal segment to demonstrate this. What follows is the first comprehensive guide to highlight the leaders in campus fleet electrification.
Our goal in sharing this is to recognize the leaders and inspire the laggards. We will delve into the methodology used to identify these leaders, the benefits they enjoy and best practices they employ, as well as the three groups that we created to categorize them: Power Players, Charging Up, and Wired For Change.
Introduction
In fleet electrification activity across transportation, we see very clearly a few leaders who are moving forward quickly and at scale. They are the tip of the spear and are simultaneously discovering and establishing best practices. Colleges and universities, with their passionate stakeholders and public facing commitments to environmental stewardship, are one segment where we focus and what follows is the first comprehensive guide to highlight the leaders in campus fleet electrification.
Our goal in sharing this is to recognize the leaders and inspire the laggards. We will delve into the methodology used to identify these leaders, the benefits they enjoy and best practices they employ, as well as the three groups that we created to categorize them: Power Players, Charging Up, and Wired For Change.
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The Methodology
The methodology for identifying the leaders in this area focused on two key factors:
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Must have at least one electric vehicle in the campus fleet.
And/Or
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Must have one electric vehicle charging station installed on campus.
That’s it. While it is not deep science, it is not a deep fake either. It is simple and it is objective. If we are missing anything from your perspective, please let us know.
The information used for the methodology was gathered from various publicly available sources, including campus websites, the Princeton Review's Guide to Green Colleges, the Sustainability Tracking, Assessment & Rating System (STAR) by AASHE, and industry leaders such as ChargePoint. We also open sourced this project by inviting each of these schools to validate and update their status. We’ve heard directly from some but not all. We expect that the methodology will evolve over time as campus fleet electrification activity matures and becomes more visible, but for now, this is the gating criteria for being included in Shockwave: Ground Truth Energy’s Guide to Campus Fleet Electrification.
Outcomes: Who are the leaders in campus fleet electrification?
Power Players
These schools are boldly leading the way with >10 electric vehicles in the campus fleet
School | EVs in Campus Fleet | % of fleet that is EV | EV Charging Ports on Campus |
|---|---|---|---|
University of California San Diego | 454 | 44% | 182 |
Arizona State University | 397 | 47% | 100 |
Texas A&M University | 219 | 15% | 33 |
California State University, Sacramento | 168 | 66% | 70 |
University at Albany | 113 | 38% | 6 |
UCLA | 109 | 66% | 61 |
University of Massachusetts Amherst | 106 | 18% | 54 |
Furman University | 96 | 57% | 8 |
Santa Clara University | 81 | 48% | 18 |
University of California, Merced | 74 | 31% | 4 |
Coastal Carolina University | 71 | 24% | 2 |
University of Maryland
| 53 | 4% | 17 |
Binghamton University | 48 | 20% | |
Vanderbilt University | 46 | 16% | 16 |
Michigan State University | 45 | 4% | 13 |
University of San Diego | 38 | 17% | 30 |
Colorado State University | 34 | 5% | 42 |
Oregon State University | 34 | 7% | 21 |
University of Pennsylvania | 33 | 8% | 12 |
Southwestern University | 29 | 57% | 2 |
Seattle University | 21 | 30% | 3 |
University of Vermont | 14 | 6% | 18 |
University of Notre Dame | 14 | 3% | 10 |
MIT | 13 | 6% | 14 |
Bentley | 12 | 17% | 4 |
Austin Peay State University | 11 | 9% | 2 |
See your school here? Publicize it:
Did we miss anything?
Outcomes: Who are the leaders in campus fleet electrification?
Charging Up
These schools have their first EV in the campus fleet, on their way to 10+
Schools | EVs in Campus Fleet | % of fleet that is EV | EV Charging Ports on Campus |
|---|---|---|---|
University of Virginia | 9 | 1% | 5 |
American University | 9 | 9% | 9 |
University of Nebraska - Lincoln | 8 | 1% | 6 |
University of Cincinnati | 8 | 2% | 4 |
Lehigh University | 7 | 6% | 4 |
Vassar College | 7 | 3% | 6 |
University of New Hampshire | 6 | 2% | 1 |
Boston College | 6 | 5% | 2 |
Bates College | 6 | 16% | 14 |
Cornell University | 6 | 1% | 4 |
Saint Mary's College of California | 6 | 17% | 11 |
University of Minnesota | 5 | 1% | 26 |
University of Michigan | 4 | 0% | 17 |
Harvard University | 4 | 1% | 54 |
Bard College | 4 | 3% | 4 |
Randolph College | 4 | 13% | 1 |
Colby College | 3 | 6% | 6 |
Duke University | 2 | 0% | 8 |
Iowa State University | 2 | 0% | 7 |
Gettysburg College | 2 | 3% | 4 |
Colgate University | 2 | 2% | 2 |
College of the Atlantic | 2 | 8% | 8 |
Ithaca College | 1 | 1% | 2 |
Dickinson College | 1 | 1% | 3 |
Denison University | 1 | 1% | 6 |
Williams College | 1 | 1% | 10 |
Tufts | 1 | 1% | 12 |
Did we miss anything?
Outcomes: Who are the leaders in campus fleet electrification?
Wired for Change
These schools have an EV charging station on campus. Ready for their first EV!
This list is still in progress, but suffice it to say that it will be a long one. Many college campuses already have charging stations on campus. Check back soon, more to come!
Did we miss anything?
Benefits: Campus Fleet Electrification in Practice
Campus fleets have a little bit of everything in terms of vehicle types and use cases, from transit buses and garbage trucks to security vehicles and sedans. This mix makes campus fleets unique microcosms where the benefits of EVs in a fleet setting can be demonstrated.
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Save money. Number one with a bullet. Electric vehicles use less fuel and require less maintenance. This saves money. Sometimes a lot of money, such as a campus security vehicle. With relatively high mileage and lots of idle time, switching from an internal combustion engine vehicle to an EV equivalent can save over $10,000 per year on one campus security vehicle (even with a higher purchase price on the EV).
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Reduce emissions. EVs have zero tailpipe emissions and for those keeping track officially, that’s zero Scope 1 emissions. Even when accounting for the Scope 2 emissions associated with generating the electricity that charges the EV, reduced Scope 1 & 2 emissions on a campus vehicle can be greater than 70%. A campus fleet can be electrified now, without sacrifice, whereas other efforts to reduce emissions on campus can take a decade or more and tens of millions in investment.
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Enhance brand. Campus vehicles are typically branded and highly visible. If you are a campus with a public facing commitment to be carbon neutral and you have branded electric vehicles driving around campus every day, what does that say about the reality of your school's commitment to the health of its students and the planet?
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Employee satisfaction. Anecdotally, (we did not find a formal measure of this yet) employees and drivers operating electric vehicles prefer the experience to that of an internal combustion engine vehicle and are motivated by their employer’s commitment to following through on sustainability commitments.
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Student engagement. Certain colleges have involved students directly in the process of fleet electrification. Leveraging the accessibility of the campus fleet as the basis for research and analysis of real world activity to create a living laboratory without leaving campus.
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Community health. Reduced emissions (see above) means cleaner air and healthier students, faculty and surrounding communities.
Best Practices: What does it take to electrify a campus fleet?
Start Soon
Campus fleet electrification takes longer than most think it will and if your effort is going to move quickly, cost effectively and at scale, it is best to plan ahead. This will account for the realities of potentially long lead times for internal decision making and approvals as well as those for permitting, incentives and utility interaction. Get the first EV on board as soon as possible to begin gaining firsthand experience and in parallel work to create the longer term plan.
Strategic Thinking
Power Players develop comprehensive plans, encompassing goals, timelines, and budgets for successful fleet electrification. These plans include electric vehicles, charging infrastructure and operational support systems that align with their specific economic, sustainability and operational goals. The best of the best include energy optimization strategies such as load balancing, time-of-use charging, grid revenue opportunities and renewable energy integration to optimize energy usage and reduce costs.
Stakeholder Engagement
Town AND Gown is important for any campus, especially so when the campus fleet is going electric. These campuses foster collaborations with internal stakeholders (finance, operations/facilities, students & faculty) to ensure alignment. They also engage critical external stakeholders (local governments, utility companies, specialized consultancies and EV manufacturers) to access expertise and funding. Most energy experts do not understand fleet and most fleet experts do not understand energy, so everyone benefits from collaboration.
Operational Excellence
Power Players prioritize driver training and support programs to ensure fleet managers and drivers are familiar with electric vehicle technology, charging procedures, and efficient range management. EVs offer a lot of data and these campuses regularly monitor and evaluate the performance of their assets, leveraging data analytics to track progress towards sustainability goals and budgets, identify areas for improvement and make informed decisions.
Decision Support
Most campus fleets are decentralized and campus fleet electrification will involve multiple decision makers. A thoughtful presentation that includes thorough analysis will answer questions, reduce uncertainty and gain support needed to move forward with confidence and conviction.