National group making pit stop at WMU to showcase electric vehicles

Cars lined up at a group of on-campus charging stations. — With 22, WMU is among the nation

A Natural Resources Defense Council group will wrap up the last leg of its electric vehicle road trip across the Midwest by stopping Tuesday, July 2, at Western Michigan University to recharge. WMU has one of the largest numbers of EV charging stations of any campus in the country.

The road trip features four Sustainable Energy Fellows from the NRDC's Climate & Clean Energy Program driving a battery-powered 2017 Chevy Bolt. The 10-day trek includes a circular route from Detroit through Columbus, Cincinnati, Indianapolis, St. Louis, Chicago and back to Detroit. Along the way, the fellows are making visits, detours and pit stops to explore transportation electrification in the region, which NRDC says has a rich automotive history and iconic road trip landscapes.

While in Kalamazoo, the fellows will be at the WMU Office for Sustainability for drop-in conversations with campus and community members wanting to learn more about electric vehicles and the group's road trip adventures. They also will collect information about WMU's EV policies and fleet, their impact on the campus community, and how they fit in with the University's many other eco-friendly programs.

The schedule of events for the visit is as follows:

9 to 9:30 a.m.—NRDC group arrives, plugs in the vehicle and tours the sustainability office
9:30 to 11:30 a.m.—Drop-in conversations with campus and community members
11:30 a.m.—Public portion of the visit wraps up

The WMU Office for Sustainability is located on the corner of West Michigan and Howard Street at 2529 W. Michigan Ave. Guests are encouraged to walk or bike to the office. Free parking for off-campus guests will be available in WMU Lot 49. Campus and parking maps are available online. View real-time road trip blog posts or track the trip daily on Instagram.

Direct questions about the event to Jeff Spoelstra, sustainability office director, at jeffrey.spoelstra@wmich.edu or (269) 387-0943.

For more WMU news, arts and events, visit WMU News online.