Clayton State University is committed to sustainable practices and energy savings, and has been for the better part of 15 years.
Long-time followers of the doings of the University will recall that Clayton State purchased an early electric pick-up truck in the late 1990s for use by the Plant Operations Department – although then-President Dr. Richard Skinner was intrigued by the new addition and insisted on taking it on its first on-campus test drive.
In September 2002, the Clayton State Department of Public Safety became the proud owner of a Ford electric “Think Neighbor.” Comparable in size to a golf cart, the “Think” was a roadworthy, electric vehicle capable of reaching speeds of 25 MPH that came complete with seat belts, blinkers, digital speedometer, windshield wipers, windshield wiper fluid, and many other standard automobile features. However, unlike the family car or the electric pickup, the “Think Neighbor” had no doors.
In early 2009, the University was presented with an all-electric, zero pollution vehicle by Dennis Kerce and Mike Vigil of Allan Vigil Ford Lincoln Mercury. The four passenger electric vehicle was distributed through Miles Automotive Group. The car can reach speeds of 25 mph and operate for 40 miles on a full charge. The car requires a typical household current to charge with an electricity usage cost of about 1.5 cents per mile. Like his predecessor, then-President Dr. Thomas Harden also felt it was a good idea for the president to take the new electric vehicle on a test spin.
Now, the University is requesting that interested members of the campus community fill out a brief survey to gauge possible interest in establishing an electric car charging station on campus.
In a message to all Clayton State faculty, staff and students, Vice President for Business and Operations Corlis Cummings says, “The University is committed to sustainable practices, energy savings and environmental safety. Therefore, we have designed a quick survey to determine the level of interest in installing an electric car charging station on Clayton State University’s campus. We would highly appreciate your participation in this survey which will take less than a minute of your time.”