Electric Charging Station Policy

Swarthmore College is committed to providing sustainable transportation options as part of its dedication to achieving carbon neutrality by 2035. As a demonstration of this commitment, the College has installed eight electric vehicle-charging stations across campus. Each station has two charging ports, for a total of 16 ports. 

Stations are reserved exclusively for use by Swarthmore College students, faculty, and staff, approved affiliates, and guests staying at The Inn at Swarthmore. All stations will be accessible with your OneCard.

Charging Station Locations

  • Parking lot behind 502 Fieldhouse Lane (one station, which includes a 110V outlet)
  • Whittier parking lot (three stations)
  • Ben West parking lot (two stations)
  • The Inn at Swarthmore parking lot (two stations)

Please refer to the Campus Map.

Obtaining Access to Charging Stations

To access the charging stations, drivers must first register their vehicle with Public Safety and have a current campus parking pass. All of the charging stations (including the 110V outlet at 502 Fieldhouse Lane) are controlled by OneCard readers. In order to have the access added to your OneCard, you must send a request to onecard@swarthmore.edu. Access to campus charging stations is currently granted as a courtesy. However, there may be a fee for this service in the future.

Guests staying at the Inn at Swarthmore may request a temporary OneCard from the front desk for the use of the two charging stations at the Inn parking lot only.

Guest Charging

As a courtesy, Swarthmore College will allow guests who are here visiting or for an event the ability to use one of our charging stations for up to 4 hours.  Guests interested in using a charging station should visit Public Safety located in the Benjamin West House to have a station activated. You will need to provide Public Safety with the location and charging station number.

How to Use Campus Charging Stations

Each station has two card readers, a separate one for each charging port. The card reader and charging handle are both labeled to identify which reader activates which port. To activate the charging station, present the card to the reader; this will activate that particular charging port for four hours. Once the four-hour mark is reached, the charging station will turn off.  

After your four-hour session, please move your vehicle to another spot to free up the station for someone else. Vehicles parked beyond the four-hour limit may be ticketed.

Other Policies and Procedures

  • Use of this service is for registered vehicles, and access to these stations should not be shared with anyone else.
  • There is no parking allowed in spots designated as charging stations unless you are charging your vehicle. Vehicles must be actively charging when parked in the designated spots.
  • Vehicles parked beyond the four-hour time limit may be ticketed.
  • Charging station spots may be closed at times for special event parking, maintenance, and construction.
  • Misuse of the charging stations or failure to follow procedures could result in your access being revoked.
  • If you leave the College or no longer have a designated affiliation, your access to the charging stations will be deactivated.