Stony Brook University has installed New York State’s first EnerFusion solar-powered micro-mobility charging station, giving students a safer and greener way to keep their rides powered up.
The EnerFusion ARA-EB2B unit is located outside the Chapin Apartments on East Campus and is built to handle e-scooters, e-bikes, e-skateboards, and hoverboards. These are all obviously popular with students looking for quick campus transportation.
The project, led by Campus Residences within the Division of Student Affairs, addresses several priorities: reducing indoor fire risks from lithium-ion battery charging, encouraging environmentally responsible transportation, and operating entirely off-grid. The station uses solar panels that feed gel-cell batteries, enabling it to function around the clock without pulling from the university’s power supply.
It’s absolutely packed with features, including six e-bike pods, eight e-scooter pods, three e-skateboard lockers, and two e-hoverboard lockers. There are also 19 surge-protected, weather-resistant 120V GFCI outlets, a tire pump, a maintenance station, dusk-activated ambient lighting, and a Bluetooth-enabled solar charge controller accessible through a mobile app.
The station’s fire-safe construction complies with NFPA 30 and APBP standards. Additionally, its rust-proof aluminum and stainless steel build can withstand wind speeds of up to 150 miles per hour.
“This station helps keep our buildings safer by moving charging outdoors, while also giving students a more convenient way to power their personal transportation,” said Curtis Charles, assistant director of Campus Residences Information Systems and Division of Information Technology (DoIT). “It reflects our commitment to sustainability and to meeting the needs of our campus community.”
In my view, you’d have to be a psychopath to charge a scooter or e-bike indoors and risk a fire. We’ve seen too many deadly lithium-ion battery fires in New York, with tragic results. Moving charging outdoors is not just a nice sustainability move, folks, it’s essential safety.
