Holyoke Community College Honored for Pushing Electric-vehicle Adoption

HOLYOKE — Holyoke Community College (HCC) was honored by the MassEVolves consortium for taking steps to expand the use of electric vehicles (EV) on campus.

The third annual MassEVolves recognition ceremony was held on Nov. 18 to highlight Massachusetts leaders in the adoption of electric vehicles. The virtual event was co-hosted by the national nonprofit Recharge America, the Massachusetts Executive Office of Energy and Environmental Affairs (EEA), and the Massachusetts Department of Environmental Protection.

HCC was one of 19 Massachusetts organizations and colleges singled out during the ceremony, including just three others from Western Mass.: Hampshire College, UMass Amherst, and Bard College at Simon’s Rock.

“The work you are all doing is critical to the future of the Commonwealth and critical to us making this important transition” to the state’s goal of reaching zero net emissions by 2050, EEA Secretary Kathleen Theoharides said, adding that a key piece of “bending our emissions curve” will be electric vehicles.

To receive recognition, MassEVolves participants create and execute an EV action plan that outlines steps they are taking to help Massachusetts residents gain greater access to electric vehicles, which may include installing EV chargers, holding educational events, and more.

HCC has an EV station in the parking lot outside its Center for Health Education and Simulation on Jarvis Avenue in Holyoke along with spaces allocated for zero-emissions vehicles in the visitor parking lot by its Campus Center, where wiring already exists to install EV charging stations.

“We have been working with MassEVolves to come up with a plan to install more charging stations and encourage EV adoption,” said Narayan Sampath, HCC’s vice president of Administration and Finance. “We are also looking to purchase at least one electric vehicle with grants or subsidies from the state. These efforts are not only good for the environment but will also help us realize significant cost savings.”

Increasing the number of electric vehicles in Massachusetts is expected to revitalize local economies in Massachusetts and across the country. Recharge America has shown that EVs can deliver more than $1,000 per year, per vehicle in local economic-development benefit to communities where they reside.

“We congratulate each of our 2020 MassEVolves honorees for the work they’ve done and the commitments they’ve made toward the adoption of electric vehicles in Massachusetts,” said Kirk Brown, CEO of Recharge America. “The initiatives undertaken by MassEVolves participants will benefit their employees, customers, and all residents of the Commonwealth for the years and decades to come.”