Ready to roll: Tesla joins Saint Vincent’s fleet of vehicles

by Public Relations | August 20, 2024

LATROBE, PA - Saint Vincent College's forward-thinking approach to technology and energy is reflected in the recent addition of a Tesla Model 3 to the College's fleet of vehicles. The full cost of the electric vehicle was covered by several donors, including Dr. Gregory Bisignani.

A surgeon with Independence Health, Bisignani is a member of the Saint Vincent College Board of Directors and chair of the advisory council for the Herbert W. Boyer School of Natural Sciences, Mathematics and Computing. A long-time advocate for clean energy, Bisignani owns two Teslas and has solar panels on his home.

"I think [using electric vehicles] is great for our future and our environment. I'm a big believer in that," Bisignani said. "Simply showing support for the environment across the community is great. I think [having a Tesla] is going to help the campus and the whole college environment."

The rear doors of the black Tesla are marked with the Saint Vincent crest logo. The College's name is emblazoned on the hood and across the rear bumper.

Adding the Tesla to the College's fleet will provide several short- and long-term benefits. Plans are under way for Saint Vincent College students to learn the technology of electric vehicles and how to drive them.

Saint Vincent College's administrators, faculty and coaches do a lot of traveling for meetings, conferences and recruiting. Dr. Jeff Mallory, C'06, G'13, executive vice president and chief operating officer said the Tesla will be put to good-and frequent-use.

"It's a branded, visible thing for Saint Vincent," Mallory said. "Given all the travel we do and the wear and tear on our vehicles, this will be great, especially as we are looking to be more environmentally friendly."

Driving an electric vehicle reinforces the Benedictine value of stewardship, the responsible use of God's creation. It also can support other core values in unexpected ways, as Mallory and Fr. Paul Taylor, O.S.B., C'87, S'91, president of Saint Vincent College, discovered during a recent trip to Wheeling, West Virginia.

Mallory and Father Paul stopped at a Sheetz to grab lunch and charge the Tesla. Driving a gas-powered car, it would have required five minutes at the pump for a quick grab-and-go. Charging an electric vehicle, however, takes a little while longer. "Fr. Paul likes it because it really forces you to take a break and communicate with each other," Mallory said.

That, Mallory noted, is a way to live out the Benedictine value of obedience-a word rooted in the Latin term for "listen."

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