By Jalynn Bugaj, customer relations & communications intern
With the construction of Steven S. Wymer Hall on the former site of parking Lot E12, nearly all parking spaces in that lot have been permanently removed as of May 8, 2023. To offset this change, a new parking structure was built at Lot E15, located at 404 E. Pennsylvania.
Before construction, Lot E15 had 294 parking spaces. Now, the lot holds just under 600 spaces, providing a mix of permit and transient parking. The new structure includes approximately 430 spaces across four stories and is built on half of Lot E15, while the remaining portion of the lot offers around 150 surface parking spaces.
This addition helps replace the parking lost from Wymer Hall’s construction while improving overall parking availability in the area.
The parking garage at Lot E15 includes spaces equipped with electric vehicle charging stations, specifically 8 ChargePoint CT-4000 “Level 2” chargers that have dual ports allowing 16 vehicles to be plugged in.
All ChargePoint “Level 2” stations operate through a cellular connection and are accessible to users with a ChargePoint account. These stations are also open to all electric vehicle (EV) drivers on a pay-per-use basis. Whether or not you are a permit holder, you can easily create a ChargePoint account to access and use the charging stations.
Users can access the stations daily from 6 a.m. to 2 a.m. while actively charging. Please note, these spaces are designated for EVs that are plugged in and actively charging, parking without charging is not permitted. Charging rates vary based on connection time, with lower rates for the first 4 hours, followed by an increase after that.
There are no designated chargers in formal ADA spaces for users with placards in the E15 Garage. However, all charging spaces in the E15 Garage are designed with “universal design,” which incorporates ADA access guidelines as the foundation for the layout of the EV spaces. This ensures accessibility for all users at every charging station.
ChargePoint chargers offer detailed information through a dashboard, including data on usage, power consumption, energy costs, and station availability. The University of Illinois Parking Department can also generate reports dating back to the early days of ChargePoint chargers on campus. The usage of the stations is actively monitored, and users can access any ChargePoint station on campus or anywhere within the ChargePoint national charging network.
Additional parking structures on campus, such as the recently reopened C7 and C10, are also equipped with both standard and ADA-accessible EV charging stations, supporting the growing demand for electric vehicle infrastructure and promoting sustainable transportation options across the University.