Whether it’s delivering and retrieving mail or watering and mowing the lawn, OU’s electrical vehicles carry out some of the most necessary tasks around campus as a part of the university’s green initiative.

Electrical vehicles have been incorporated in the Physical Plant’s transportation fleet to conserve fuel and lessen the amount of pollution released.

“Electric cars have been used on OU’s campus for years and years. Only in the past couple years has the university increased the purchase rate to keep with the University of Oklahoma’s fuel policy,” Fleet Services Manager Leon Fourcade said.

Resembling golf carts, these compact electrical vehicles drive more easily and silently than their gas-powered counterparts. Because they are electric, however, they must be charged on a regular basis to carry out their tasks effectively.

“They return to headquarters around 5 p.m. and are charged daily,” said Beth Gatewood, an administrator from Mailing Services and Document Production Services, the main user of a large number of the electric cars around campus.

In past years, gas-powered vehicles have been driven around campus carrying out the same tasks electric cars now complete. By replacing them, the university not only lessens pollution but also increases efficiency, Gatewood said.

These electric vehicles are exponentially smaller compared to their gasoline-powered counterparts and are able to navigate campus more easily, allowing tasks to be completed more efficiently, in Gatewood’s opinion.

He said OU hopes to eventually convert its entire fleet to electric vehicles.

Link:
• OU's Fuel Policy