Loyola University has three charging stations in its horseshoe entrance on St. Charles Avenue. (Courtesy of Mayor’s Office)
Loyola University New Orleans will be hosting the 2021 New Orleans Electric Vehicle Showcase on Saturday (Sept. 25).
Owners and would-be owners of electric vehicles are invited to the free event giving the public a chance to look under the hood of some of the latest electric cars from brands like Chevrolet, Nissan and Tesla. It is part of National Drive Electric Week and is presented by the city of New Orleans, Entergy New Orleans and the Southeast Louisiana Clean Fuel Partnership.
Loyola University has promoted transitioning to cleaner fuels since 2011, when it installed two electric charging stations in the main entrance to campus on St. Charles Avenue across from Audubon Park. It now has three Level 2 EV chargers for use by the Loyola community.
“At Loyola University, we lead by example,” said Loyola President Tania Tetlow, who drives an electric vehicle, “ensuring that our students and staff can be the next generation of trailblazers in resiliency and innovation for years to come here in New Orleans.”
The 2021 New Orleans Vehicle Showcase will feature the latest electric vehicles on the market and offer attendees the opportunity to check out EVs, speak to EV owners, and ask questions about the technology.
Dozens of EV owners will bring a variety of vehicles for visitors to examine, and Entergy New Orleans will be on hand with its e-Tech team to provide information on available rebates for both home and business charging and to showcase their fleet of electric Chevy Bolts.
As of Thursday morning, 51 people were registered to attend, representing 451,093 electric miles driven on nine different models of electric cars.
The showcase will take place Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. in the Marquette Horseshoe adjacent to Thomas Hall at 6363 St. Charles Ave. Face masks are required. See here to register to attend.
It would be great if Loyola opened up their EV chargers for the public. It seems like they view these more as a service to their staff and students rather than a way to advance EV usage in the community.
Breads on Oak is the nearest public charger and it is often blocked by non-electric vehicles.
Personally, I leave my charger out for anyone to use and have it posted on PlugShare for anyone to find. I’d like to see Loyola do the same.