Written by Margaret Engesser and Stephanie Rickabaugh

Sustainability has evolved into a primary concern for colleges across the United States and transportation continues to be a major contributor to campus greenhouse gas emissions nationwide.  Transportation is the leading source of carbon emissions in the United States, which has spurred the government to fund projects regarding the advancement of electric and hybrid vehicle technologies.  As alternative vehicles become more prevalent and affordable, colleges can now consider these vehicles viable options for their transportation fleet.

According to the College Sustainability Report Card, which offers a comparative analysis of sustainability at American colleges and universities, Gettysburg College (Gettysburg, Pennsylvania) received an overall grade of “B” for 2009.  Gettysburg has excelled in alternative energy use and small campus oriented sustainability projects, however its transportation sector has generally been lacking and is in need of an improved and more sustainable transportation fleet.

This study seeks to answer the question, “Is it feasible to introduce electric and hybrid vehicles to the Gettysburg College vehicle fleet?”  To answer this question, a survey analyzing student and faculty knowledge and attitudes towards sustainability was distributed, a cost analysis was performed and a sampling of the top liberal arts colleges in the nation were contacted in regards to their ownership of alternative vehicles.  Based on student and faculty opinion and current trends in college transportation, it appears to be feasible to introduce electric and hybrid vehicles to Gettysburg College. The majority of students and faculty members surveyed support the implementation of alternative vehicles on campus and the college’s commitment to sustainability, which is indicative of the overall pro-environmental attitudes present in the college community.  Owning alternative vehicles will allow Gettysburg to be more competitive with similar liberal arts colleges that have already purchased electric vehicles and hybrids.

Based upon our analysis we suggest that electric and hybrid vehicles are introduced to the Gettysburg College transportation fleet as vehicles need to be replaced.  We recommend the Honda Insight as a replacement vehicle for the College’s sedans, which get 41 mpg compared to the average of 17 mpg for the current sedans.   Based on current gas prices, it can be determined that the Insight would save the College over $850 a year in gasoline prices.

The Honda Insight is significantly more expensive than the current sedans purchased by Gettysburg College and it may take 3.5 to 5 years to make up for the price difference, but in the long run is more cost effective.  We also recommend the Chevy Volt as an electric vehicle replacement for the current Department of Public Safety (DPS) sedans that patrol campus.  The Volt is an extended range electric vehicle and on a full charge the battery will last up to 40 miles, making it a perfect replacement for a DPS vehicle which travels 25 to 40 miles daily.

While the cost of electric and hybrid vehicles is a disadvantage, there is an important benefit associated with these vehicles: they would improve Gettysburg College’s image as a sustainable institution and help secure its ranking among the top 50 liberal arts colleges.  As the College’s current vehicles have the Gettysburg College logo imprinted on their sides, electric and hybrids would make students and faculty more aware of their presence on campus.  Hopefully this would consequently influence Gettysburg residents and Gettysburg College students, faculty and staff to purchase one of these vehicles in the future.  As sustainability has become an important concern for colleges nationwide, the possible implementation of the results of our study will contribute to Gettysburg’s high ranking among other liberal arts colleges.

Margaret Engesser and Stephanie Rickabaugh are alumni of Gettysburg College in Pennsylvania. Margaret Engesser is currently a graduate student in the Regional Planning program at the University of Massachusetts Amherst.

Image courtesy of Creative Commons.

| More...