The College of New Jersey (TCNJ) and Public Service Electric and Gas Co. (PSE&G) have completed the installation of a five-station electric vehicle (EV) charging system in the Ewing, N.J., college’s Metzger Parking Garage.
According to PSE&G, this system development is part of a company pilot program designed to help spur the adoption of EVs in the utility’s electric service territory.
“The College of New Jersey is proud to partner with PSE&G on this innovative project that further advances our long-standing and broad-based environmental sustainability goals,” says TCNJ President R. Barbara Gitenstein. “Through the generous support of PSE&G, we are now able to provide our faculty and staff with access to electric vehicle charging stations, reaffirming our commitment to reducing our carbon footprint in a fiscally responsible way.”
As part of the pilot program, TCNJ paid for the installation of the five charging stations and made a commitment to immediately utilize them for faculty and staff who own and drive EVs to the school. In return, PSE&G provided the EV charging equipment free of charge.
“As the mileage range of electric vehicles continues to increase, we can expect that they will become more popular both across the country and in New Jersey,” says Courtney McCormick, vice president of renewables and energy solutions at PSE&G.
PSE&G says its pilot program currently has 60 EV charging stations in service at 11 customer locations around the state, including at TCNJ, with the goal of having 120 charging stations in the program overall.
In addition to providing a convenient charging option for EV drivers, the PSE&G pilot program also allows the utility to collect real-world data about how the chargers are used. This will allow PSE&G to better understand the impact that large-scale EV charging could have on the electric grid, identify areas of potential high-EV charger density, and plan for infrastructure upgrades and modifications that may be needed.
