Spring Break
Creating partnership with Nissan
OSU hopes to continue green leadership by using hybrid vehicles in motor pool
Makenna Bishop
Issue date: 1/22/09 Section: News
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Oregon State currently possesses the largest public statewide fleet of sustainability vehicles and plans to continue to embrace new technology in electric cars.
Nissan North America recently began communicating with the state of Oregon in hopes of forming a partnership to bring zero-emission electric cars to government agencies by next year. With that would come the creation of more car-charging stations around the state.
Justin Fleming, OSU's Motor Pool manager, was involved in the original discussion with Nissan representatives. He said OSU is a likely candidate for the partnership project.
The OSU Motor Pool operates as business by charging a fee for departments to rent a car for university-related travel.
"Because we operate this way it empowers us to use our resources wisely," Fleming said. "We continuously weigh out what is important to spend money on and what's not."
Motor Pool receives, on average, 10 requests daily for hybrid reservations. It is the only fleet in Oregon, which has a plug-in hybrid available for daily use.
"We have to get our hands dirty in order to get the campus thinking, 'What does it mean to be a sustainable campus?'" Fleming said.
Though Nissan hasn't released any official criteria for the partnership they are searching for, Fleming anticipates it will be based on the compatibility of standards, goals and the level of investment.
"I think they're very interested in electric vehicle education components as well as building an infrastructure," Fleming said.
This potential partnership demonstrates OSU's commitment to the latest innovations as well as to the continuing research into alternative fuels.
Rachelle Stewart, a sophomore in bioengineering, said that electric vehicles should be heavily considered by society as an alternative. When asked about the practicality of the electric vehicle, Stewart said there is always room for improvement. "Society has to make changes in their lives whenever there is a crisis, and becoming independent of foreign oil is very important," Stewart said.
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