At Hof University of Applied Sciences, employees can charge their e-cars with electricity free of charge – for university president Prof. Dr. Dr. h.c.. Jürgen Lehmann another small piece of the puzzle on the way to becoming a greentech university. A short interview
Dear President Prof. Lehmann, let’s first briefly talk about the “big picture.” What steps is Hof University taking on its way to becoming a Greentech University?
“This self-commitment demands teachers, administration and students alike, and it requires many small steps and measures over the years. In the most striking terms, it’s about sustainability in all aspects of university operations, the careful use of resources and, of course, the application of modern technologies, e.g., in the area of power generation and energy management.”
A good example of this effort will certainly be the Center for Water and Energy Management (ZWE), which is currently under construction…
“That’s right, research will be conducted here in the future in the areas of refrigeration and heating technology, hydrogen applications, energetic biomass use and water pollution control, as well as in the large field of water purification and much more. Many research results will then also be applied on site. The building thus becomes a field of application for the research taking place in it – a very good example of how greentech can work. But there are also already very tangible examples.”
Image: Hof University of Applied Sciences;
Which are?
“Let’s take the field of e-mobility. Here, we not only do a lot of scientific research, but also try to live it.”
What does that mean in concrete terms in everyday university life?
“Here there are a few things that can be mentioned: We use an electric car and a plug-in hybrid as our company cars. Our student initiative HofSpannung e.V. is successfully working on the further development of a FormulaStudent E race car and is always creating awareness for the topic with great events. Most recently, we also installed another e-charging station in our parking lot, which can be used by all employees free of charge – this is in line with the current requirements of the Bavarian budget legislation. The two columns naturally also have a certain signal effect on our employees.”
To what extent?
“We find that this offer is very popular and that the share of e-vehicles among our employees is continuously increasing. There is also a corresponding column at the university location in Münchberg, for example, with similarly good utilization. It is of course pleasant to be able to charge your car during working hours. Of course, we want to continue along this path and will react according to demand. One thing is certain: as soon as the new Center for Water and Energy Management (ZWE) is completed – with which we also produce our own electricity – further charging columns will also be installed there.”
