When Queen’s alum Fraser Horn, Sci ’89, experienced difficulty charging his electric Tesla Model S in Kingston, he decided to propose a new initiative to add to campus.

For the past two Homecomings, Horn has driven from Toronto to Kingston. However, he’s struggled to get back home as there’s no charging station near Queen’s University. 

Horn wrote to Principal Woolf after last Homecoming suggesting that the University install an electric car charger on campus. Woolf directed Horn to the Queen’s Sustainability Office.

Horn, an electrical engineer and stay-at-home father, made an initial $4,000 pledge to install a charger on campus, according to the Gazette. 

There are currently electric car charging stations near Hwy. 401 at Division St., one on Princess St. at the Best Western, and another at St. Lawrence College. It can take hours to charge a vehicle, so these locations aren’t practical for someone driving to the university and back each day. 

The cost to install two chargers on campus is $30,000, according to the Gazette. Queen’s University is seeking further donations to purchase these chargers.