The College will transition its rideshare fleet to electric vehicles in partnership with the student-run Alhambra Consulting Group, Provost Eiko Maruko Siniawer ’97 announced in an email to the campus community on Sept. 26.
The announcement included updates about the College’s other sustainability initiatives, as well as new research related to environmentalism.
This project will help the College meet its goal of reducing emissions from vehicle and air travel. Transportation makes up 29 percent of United States greenhouse gas emissions, which is more than any other sector, according to the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency.
Before partnering with Alhambra, the College had already begun the electrification process, according to Zilkha Center Director Tanja Srebotnjak.
“The College already had some high fuel efficiency vehicles and Dining Services operates a couple of all-electric Gem Cars, but transitioning the entire fleet away from fossil fuel combustion engines is going to take a more long-term, coordinated, and adequately-resourced effort,” she wrote in an email to the Record.
“So we, the Zilkha Center, partnered with the student-run Alhambra Consulting Group in the fall of 2022 to research opportunities, strategies, and state and federal incentives for fleet electrification,” she continued.
According to Srebotnjak, Alhambra consultants Alex Rouyer ’24, Sam Youngwood ’25, and Indira Thodiyil ’25 initially approached the Zilkha Center “in the context of a project they were working on in spring 2022 for a startup company called MoveEV based in Somerville, Mass., which was building services for companies and institutions to incentivize EV ownership for their employees.” The students surveyed employees to gauge their satisfaction and interest in electric vehicles.
Srebotnjak said she saw a link between the students’ project and the College’s move toward vehicle electrification, and in fall 2022, the Zilkha Center officially became a client of Alhambra.
Srebotnjak explained how the project analyzes the cost of owning a Pacifica plug-in hybrid (PHEV) in comparison to the conventional model. The small pilot program will replace 2-3 vehicles over the next couple of years and record the performance and satisfaction among users. With the help of Sustainability Project Manager Doug Schlaefer and Assistant Director for Energy and Utilities Jason Moran, Srebotnjak secured funding to cover the price difference between a PHEV and conventional vehicle and to purchase a fully electric cargo van, she told the Record.
Thodiyil said she appreciated the opportunity to work directly with the Zilkha Center.
“It was really exciting to see how much of our input was taken seriously,” she said. “It didn’t feel like we were petitioning the school. It felt like we were working with this school.”
Srebotnjak expressed excitment over the future of this project.
“It is also a joy to see [the students’] dedicated work inform and even drive climate and sustainability action at Williams,” she said. “I hope that they conclude projects with us feeling more empowered and prepared to initiate the change they want to see in other issues and continuing post-graduation.”
