Montana State installs first electric vehicle charging stations on campus

BOZEMAN – Installation of electric vehicle charging stations on the Montana State University has begun, and officials say they will be ready for use by students, visitors, faculty and staff during the fall semester.

MSU’s first Level 2 EV charging stations were installed this summer on the west side of American Indian Hall and on the south side of Hyalite residence hall. Both are expected to be operational during the fall semester. A third station is slated for installation on the southwest corner of the Brick Breeden Fieldhouse parking lot later this year.

Kristin Blackler, director of MSU’s Office of Sustainability, said students are expected to be the heaviest users of the stations, followed by visitors. Requests from students and their parents for on-campus charging stations started coming in about three years ago and have only increased in number, Blackler said.

“Electric vehicle ownership in the community is increasing. We’re trying to prepare for that,” Blackler said. “I’m very excited to see what we learn, and we expect to use that information to build more of these in the right places around campus.”

Duke Elliott, resource conservation specialist with the Engineering and Utilities division of University Facilities Management, said the stations are dual-port units that can charge two vehicles at once, and they are compatible with most electric vehicles.

Elliott said many variables, including a vehicle’s maximum charge rate and battery capacity, influence how long it takes an electric vehicle battery to charge. Citing information from the U.S. Department of Transportation, he said Level 2 chargers can fully charge a vehicle battery in four to 10 hours, which is considerably faster than Level 1 chargers but slower than “fast” chargers commonly installed along heavy traffic corridors that can do the same job in 20 minutes to an hour.

MSU Parking Services said EV drivers will be able to access the stations on a first-come, first-served basis and will be charged $3 per hour to park, payable at the charging station.

Blackler and Elliott said several offices on campus, including University Facilities Management and Parking Services, participated in planning for the stations for about a year to ensure that access to the chargers is reasonable, equitable and meets people’s needs.

“We serve the public and also are stewards of public trust,” Elliott said. “Our approach with new technology is to move forward cautiously, test and then proceed.”

Blackler said university officials will closely monitor station usage and other factors to determine where to best locate additional chargers in the future. They also will assess whether there is a need to provide chargers for electric bikes.

“We are excited to do this for campus and especially excited to provide this service to the MSU community” Blackler said.

She added, “As a land-grant institution, MSU is committed to being a good steward of the resources we have available to us, and we strive to create a culture on campus that promotes sustainability and energy efficiency and pushes us toward achieving the three main goals in MSU's Sustainability Framework.”

The installation of chargers on campus also will advance MSU’s goal of achieving STARS Platinum by 2035ranking from the Association for the Advancement of Sustainability in Higher Education.