A view of a new EV charging box installed in Lot B4.

This study explores familiar, basic 120V AC outlets as a charging infrastructure alternative.  Sometimes, called Level 1 charging, it takes many hours to recharge an EV battery from this basic infrastructure.  On the other hand, commuters park their cars all day, so this duration is not necessarily a problem.  The costs match the retail cost of electrical energy, since the infrastructure does not impose any special requirements.

In the first phase, the iSEE project team has designed data collection hardware to obtain charging data for basic infrastructure charging, with emphasis on commuters holding parking permits and parking all day.  The team is working with Campus Parking and Facilities & Services to support the deployment of this data collection capability in Lot B4, the North Campus Parking Structure, to gather initial data in phase one.

Phase two of the project will involve about 30 data collection boxes dispersed around campus.  This phase will trial management and pricing plans that will help make future programs convenient for users and financially sustainable.

Article excerpted from iSEE Newsletter.