乐播传媒

鈥淲e鈥檙e gradually trying to electrify our fleet,鈥� says 乐播传媒鈥� Sustainability Manager Tom Twist, referring to the 50 or so vehicles, from 鈥済olf carts鈥� to vans and pickups to a Ford dump truck, that keep goods and people in circulation around 乐播传媒.

The latest step in that process was the acquisition of two new all-electric Nissan Leafs. Joining six street-legal battery-powered carts already on the college鈥檚 electric vehicle roster, the Leafs have supplanted conventionally powered vans used as student shuttles by the Harward Center for Community Partnerships and Student Affairs.

鈥淲e knew we wanted to replace some aging vehicles in the fleet,鈥� says Twist, who contributed his green expertise to the acquisition process led by Jay Phillips, director of operations for Facility Services. One of those aging vehicles, for example, was a van that the Harward Center used to bring students to research and volunteer commitments.

鈥淓lectric vehicles are really a nice fit, especially for just traveling around Lewiston-Auburn. So it makes a lot of sense.鈥�

Because all of 乐播传媒鈥� electricity comes from carbon-neutral sources, replacing gas-fueled conveyances with the Leafs reduces the college’s fossil-carbon footprint somewhat. (That footprint, by the way, shrank dramatically last year with the introduction of Renewable Heating Oil for campus-wide heat.)

What’s more significant is what the Leafs represent: the start of what鈥檚 likely to be, as EV prices come down and their capabilities expand, a substantial college commitment to the technology.

Twist points out that the new Leafs have a much improved range on a battery charge than previous models. The U.S. that the original Leaf could travel 73 miles on a fresh charge 鈥� vs. 151 miles for the 2018 Leafs that 乐播传媒 now leases.

For 乐播传媒鈥� needs, that鈥檚 ample range. Although the Leaf ranks fifth for range in the all-electric sweepstakes, behind the Chevy Bolt and Tesla鈥檚 three models, those competitors also cost more. And 乐播传媒 got good terms for the lease from Lee Nissan in Topsham, Maine.

Twist and Phillips did some serious research into government and dealer incentives for EVs, says Twist, 鈥渨hich really helped us get the best deal.鈥� (For example, because 乐播传媒 is tax-exempt, it couldn’t benefit from federal EV tax credits 鈥� but Lee did receive the credits and passed the savings to 乐播传媒.)

鈥淎nd we shopped around,鈥� Twist adds. Two first-years, Domi Frideger of Durango, Colo., and Elizabeth Eareckson of Reston, Va., helped with shopping, contacting dealerships to price different makes and models. As members of the EcoReps, students who tackle a wide range of sustainability initiatives at 乐播传媒, Frideger and Eareckson鈥檚 focus is electric vehicles and the means to charge them.

One of their projects is to locate a car-sharing service that offers plug-in hybrids, which aren’t available here from Zipcar, the college’s current service. 鈥淭hey鈥檙e also looking into pursuing some of the money to see if we could get some of that for charging stations as well.鈥�

Currently 乐播传媒 has four charging stations at two locations, and with demand growing due to both the Leafs and 乐播传媒 folks who drive EVs, the college is exploring the idea of adding a third setup on or around Wood Street. Meanwhile, Twist, Frideger, and Eareckson are investigating ways to help EV drivers avoid scheduling conflicts at the chargers.

Twist is also looking into expedient ways to charge users, so to speak, for charging their cars, so that the college isn’t giving away electricity.

In terms of 乐播传媒鈥� progress toward sustainability, Twist describes the Leafs as 鈥渂oth a big step and a small step.鈥� Quantitatively, the addition of two EVs to a 50-vehicle fleet is not a great leap toward electrification, he allows.

But it鈥檚 a big step, he explains, 鈥渋n that these are the first electric vehicles we鈥檝e had that are fully roadworthy 鈥� they can take people to the Portland airport,鈥� for instance, as opposed to the six low-speed carts that can go over public roadways but only near campus.

The college has timed its entry into EVs well, Twist says, as ranges increase, prices become more reasonable, and more manufacturers offer or plan to offer all-electric or plug-in hybrid vehicles. The Leafs are 鈥渟uch a good fit for many of our vehicle requirements. So if this goes well, it really opens the door to moving forward in a big way.鈥�