King Abdullah University of Science and Technology (KAUST)
in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia is working hard to create a green profile ahead of its grand opening. KAUST recently
initiated a Segway sharing program to facilitate on-campus travel by
instructors, students and staff. The university inserted dedicated parking
space throughout the campus for hybrid and electric vehicles. KAUST students
and faculty will use shared bicycles and shuttle buses to travel around campus.
KAUST is taking its approach to sustainable transportation to the next level
with an EV sharing program facilitated by Elektromotive.
The university agreed last week to acquire 150 Elektrobay
charging stations from Great Britain’s Elektromotive. KAUST plans to lease or
purchase 150 electric vehicles in the near future to facilitate off-campus
travel for the university community. The Elektrobay charging stations ordered
by KAUST will be delivered and installed by September.
The Elektrobay charging station allows KAUST to track
electrical demand, individual usage and other metrics by the minute. Each
station is accessible only by registered users with access keys used to initiate the
charging sequence. The Elektrobay’s active display screen features information
like vehicle registration, charging time and charge status useful to drivers,
utilities and university operators. KAUST, Elektromotive and its utility
partners will be fully informed of every kilowatt-hour used thanks to each
station’s connection to a central server.
KAUST’s Elektrobay project faces several challenges from
the start. The university has acknowledged that special techniques will be used
to install Elektrobay stations to accommodate the concrete layer running only inches
below the campus surface. The extreme heat of Saudi Arabian summers will put
Elektrobay technology to the climate test. The final limitation on the
KAUST/Elektrobay is that the EV market is still in its infant stages, which
could delay the EV sharing program into the future.
The KAUST/Elektromotive partnership looks like it will surpass
these obstacles. KAUST is funded by a $10 billion endowment by the school’s
namesake, which will be sufficient to lease first-generation EVs while easily paying for
operational expenses. Elektromotive already has 160 Elektrobay stations running
in Great Britain and dozens of stations sprinkled throughout Europe. KAUST’s
academic focus is on scientific research including electrical engineering,
computer science and mechanical engineering. These programs will spur graduate
students to create new drive systems, vehicle designs and infrastructure to
push KAUST’s EV program beyond its initial goals. The installation of 150
Elektrobay stations in the heart of Middle Eastern oil country shows that the
EV revolution is heading the right direction.
It’s the amazing sience university…