Hi folks,As David mentioned, the installation of more chargers in Portland is imminent. 58 EV parking spaces with plugs will be coming in late Spring of 2023. I'm advocating for getting a few to install in Gorham as part of the same package. Obviously, it's a lop-sided number. That's because of how much the City of Portland is requiring. The price will be very expensive, as evidenced by the quotes we've been getting, and the back-end electrical infrastructure that is required to pump out that much power. The University of Maine System is carrying out a procurement process right now, which I am involved in, to choose a type of station that will be used system-wide. We are trying to get the best value for the best price. The stations will all be paid systems, which is the direction other businesses and municipalities are all moving in. Demand is now outstripping supply in most markets, and I suspect this trend will continue. With the heavy cost to the infrastructure and the heavy use, payment is critical. The new stations will have some technology capable of helping to govern charging lengths, etc. What it looks like exactly will depend on which vendor is chosen. We will be developing strict policies as well, which will be necessary with so many of us owning these types of vehicles now.In terms of getting data to support the need for Gorham, I am reasonably confident that the University will install a couple without too much pressure. Beyond that and moving forward, data will be useful.Like David mentioned, I worked with the parking office so that each time someone fills out a permit application from here on out, they have to indicate if they have an EV or PHEV. This is data I'll be able to monitor on an annual basis and use to help advocate when we need more plugs. However, that data will not tell us who is in need of plugs in Gorham.To get Gorham-specific data, I'm planning on putting a question in the annual transportation survey. I would appreciate it if no one else does a solo survey just on EVs because it will negatively impact my ability to get a robust survey response on my larger transportation survey. We have a lot of sustainable transportation fish to fry (bikes, carpools, buses, ghg emissions) and to be fair to all of them, I like to include it all in one survey. That also gives us the ability to analyze relationships between EV ownership and travel patterns for greenhouse gas calculations.Thanks!From my conversations with Aaron, on next year's application form for campus parking, there will be question(s) about EV types. I don't think it will go into detail about when/how often you need to charge, but it should be a good first step in identifying how many EV owners park on campus and the trends of ownership.Thank you,DavidMaybe we need a survey of BEV/PHEV drivers at USM. Which campus folks are primarily on (if we want to demonstrate a need for more space at GOR as well as POR), ideally how often you'd like to be able to charge (every day, only on occasion, etc).Thank you for this response David,It's great to have this information, and is very helpful. I'm glad to hear that there is a plan for portland.Re: Gorham - I don't know how feasible this is given the parking situation, but I do think having a few side by side parking spots is helpful. That way if someone is unable to get back to their car to move it, someone else can switch the plug over to "the next car in line" if the initial car has reached the 2 hour limit, or is fully charged. (This would obviously require approval, and probably additional signage).My only other thought is sending an email to this listserv, if someone has been parked there too long... as a friendly 👼reminder.Thanks All!-AnnaAnna Gardner LCPC, LADCClinical CounselorUniversity Health and Counseling Serviceshttps://usm.maine.edu/recovery-oriented-campus-center[log in to unmask]
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- As far as additional chargers for campuses go:
- Aaron Witham is the Director of Sustainability here at USM, and I have asked ad nauseam about this. He says they are definitely coming to Portland with all the new construction going on there and also Portland wants new chargers with the new parking facilities. I don't know any details, but he is part of this email list and may be able to shed some light on what is going on.
- He also says they are trying to get more chargers here in Gorham, but it sounded like that is secondary after Portland.
- As far as sharing the current charging parking spots at Gorham and Portland go:
- I don't know a good way to communicate with everybody who has a BEV/PHEV so we can all be fair and have good etiquette for sharing this free resource. But it's obvious that here in Gorham people don't seem to be following the "2-hour limit" that the sign shows. I think it's ok if people can't move their cars at exactly the 2-hour limit, but leaving it charged all day is being a bit selfish. I have talked to USM parking about this and basically, they know of the problem but don't seem to have the resources to deal with it.
- If anyone has an idea of how we can all communicate so that we can all share the charging spaces fairly, I'm open to all suggestions.
Thank you,David M. RosenWeb Design ManagerUS:IT Web TechnologiesUniversity of Southern Maine
Gorham CampusT: (207) 228-8323Email: [log in to unmask]Thank you David, this was a great idea.I'd like to second what Sarah said about additional chargers on each campus! I realize this is a complimentary "perk" that the university provides, but it certainly supports environmental initiatives that the University promotes.Personally, I have been struggling since 2018, trying to get availability on the Portland charger. (Obviously this wasn't an issue while working remotely last year). I am very excited to have access to the Gorham charger now, but worry about availability. At least with Portland, there is the second parking spot, which makes it easier to switch the plug to the next car "in line".If anyone has thoughts about how to advocate for additional plugs, I would be interested to hear.Thanks all, so nice to have a community forum for our shared interest!-AnnaThanks for getting this started, David! I just got a PHEV on Thursday (Toyota RAV4 Prime) so this is perfect timing for me. I'm hoping if there are a lot of us and we can demonstrate a need, they might add a few more charging stations to each campus.SarahSo that happened pretty quickly.First, thank you to whoever owns a Kia Niro that was in the Russell Hall Level 2 parking spot for most of today. ;)Secondly, I added anyone who was interested in this listserv and replied back to me. If you don't want to be let me know and I can remove you.Anyway quick introduction, I own a 2019 Chevy Bolt Premiere (Yes I know all about the recalls) and I love it. Feel free to ask me any questions about it or owning a BEV in general.Thank you,David M. RosenWeb Design ManagerUS:IT Web TechnologiesUniversity of Southern Maine
Gorham CampusT: (207) 228-8323Email: [log in to unmask]
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--207-780-5661University of Southern Maine LibrariesSarah LucchesiCoordinator, Research, Instruction, & Liaison Services
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--207-780-5661University of Southern Maine LibrariesSarah LucchesiCoordinator, Research, Instruction, & Liaison Services
314 Forest Ave
Portland ME 04104pronouns: she/her/hers
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Portland, Gorham, Lewiston & Online
Office: 207-780-5947
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The land I occupy belongs to the Anasaguntacook (Androscoggin) people. The place we currently call "Maine" belongs to and is home to sovereign Wabanaki people, including the Penobscot, Passamaquoddy, Maliseet, and Micmac. To contribute to healing, visit Wabanaki REACH.
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