Dell headquarters in Round Rock, Tex. recently completed installation of 130 kW of solar panels in its parking lot that will generate clean power while shading roughly 50 parking spaces, JetsonGreen reported recently. They also installed two Coulumb charging stations for plug-in electric vehicles.
Dell is the latest to join a select number of forward-thinking companies that are instituting policies that are friendly to electric vehicles (EVs) and plug-in hybrids (PHEVs), whether they’re solar-powered charging stations, incentives for employees to buy EVs and PHEVs, incorporating EVs and PHEVs in company fleets, or support for organizations like Plug In America that work to accelerate the shift to electric drive.
Google is probably the most widely known for its policies, which include rebates of thousands of dollars for employees who buy clean cars and its own solar carports and charging stations. FedEx has taken a leadership role in the Electrification Coalition, to get EVs and PHEVs on the road as soon as possible. And some companies — Microsoft comes to mind — are hearing from employees who’d like to charge while at work.
Which raises some legitimate questions. Is it reasonable to expect employers to offer free electricity to employees who want to charge while at work? By what standards should we judge a company as EV-friendly or unfriendly? Plug In America is looking at this issue and may compile a set of guidelines for companies who want to be EV-friendly. If you have ideas, or want to nominate a company for its EV-friendliness, post a comment or email info@pluginamerica.org.
Photos of Google’s solar carports at its Mountain View, Calif. headquarters, courtesy of Google.
Sherry Boschert
