Center Point School students and staff pose in front of the 2023 Kia Niro Electric Vehicle purchased in early 2024 with grant funding from EWEB..
In December of 2023, Looking Glass Center Point School applied for and received funding from the 2023 EWEB Electric Mobility Community Grant to purchase an electric vehicle and charging station. Staff did a ton of research on cars and charging stations and, in the end, purchased a 2023 Kia Niro EV and Emporia charging station.
“For the various errands I run for the school, my work life has been made substantially easier by having the EV available – not only saving the “wear and tear” on my personal vehicle but having the charging station next to the parking space means more time at the school supporting students and staff and not having to spend time going to and from the gas station,” said Randi Funke, Secretary and Billing Coordinator for Center Point School.
Since purchasing the vehicle in February, the school staff has only had to fully charge it three times. And it only takes about 6 hours to fully charge, which the staff does during the day on days it does not need to drive.
Center Point Secretary Randi Funke opens the EV charging station.
“I really enjoy utilizing the vehicle when I get to visit our community partner Food for Lane County,” said Kimberly Metheny, Therapist at Center Point School. “Not only am I able to sustainably visit our wonderful partner, but it also complements the notion of living without waste and utilizing important resources that are earth friendly. When I am procuring food and snacks for our school, our students and their families, I am playing a bigger part in fighting food waste, and the EV complements this so much. I feel like I am taking an active participation in sustainable processes at a level I never thought possible.”
The charging station is housed in a locked cabinet affixed to the wall in the parking lot just outside the school. Staff members mostly utilize the vehicle to run errands for school needs, including picking up food and other items for the students. The time and cost savings for Looking Glass has been extremely helpful.
“EWEB is excited to support Looking Glass through our 2023 Electric Mobility Community Grant in acquiring an electric vehicle and charging station for the delivery of their programs and services at the Center Point School,” said Juan Serpa Munoz, Business Line Manager at Eugene Water & Electric Board. “This is exactly the kind of community transportation electrification effort our grant program aims to support, and we are happy to be a part of this.”