COO Electric Vehicle Challenge incentive begins Feb. 1

Last October, UF Senior Vice President and Chief Operating Officer Charlie Lane announced an incentive program beginning Feb. 1 to encourage the purchase of electric vehicles over traditional gas-powered vehicles.

The incentive supports UF’s goal of having 10 percent of its vehicle fleet be composed of electric vehicles within 10 years.

Lane wrote in the announcement that the COO office will pay for the cost difference of purchasing an approved departmental electric vehicle in place of a gas-powered vehicle over the next three years (beginning Feb. 1, 2018), or until the designated $100,000 budget is depleted.

On average, the cost of an electric vehicle based on UF’s current state contract costs $5,000 more than an approved gas-powered vehicle. Following standard UF vehicle procurement guidelines, replacing a traditional vehicle with an electric vehicle requires documentation of retiring a gas-powered vehicle, and adding an additional vehicle to the fleet requires justification and approval from the appropriate dean or vice president.

Electric vehicles come with many advantages over traditional gas-powered vehicles. Because they are not powered by a gasoline engine, they do not require traditional maintenance like oil changes. This cuts down significantly on routine maintenance costs and time. Additionally, since the vehicles do not require gasoline, major savings can be had on fuel costs.

UF has recently completed the installation of charging stations that can accommodate up to 24 electric vehicles at any given time. These stations are located throughout campus and are accessible for personal vehicles as well as university-owned vehicles. Four additional stations are in the process of being installed, which will bring UF’s total EV charging capacity to 28.

To view the current list of state-approved vehicles, visit this page. Please note that this list is in the process of being updated based on the recent state contract bids. The updated approved-vehicle list will be released on Feb. 1.

If you are interested in taking advantage of this incentive, please email Sustainability Director Matthew Williams at miwilliams@ufl.edu for a consultation on which vehicles might best suit your department’s needs and the next steps in the process.