Position: Technical Support Specialist
Length of Service: 25 years on April 25
Residence: Rahway

You know his work: As a member of the 1 percent of Rutgers employees who work second shift (4 p.m. to midnight), Peter Crisitello goes largely unseen and unknown to staff, faculty, and students. But if you’ve ever gotten a paycheck, transcript, or other paper document from Rutgers, you’ve seen his work. Crisitello works for the Office of Information Technology’s Enterprise Systems and Operations on the Busch Campus, and he processes pallets upon pallets of Rutgers documents, while most of the university sleeps. “It would take a team of office workers a week to type and print what we produce in  two hours,” he said.

You may even know his cars: It’s possible you’ve also seen Crisitello’s work on the road. Spot an old Studebaker car or truck or a vintage electric vehicle in Central Jersey, and it’s likely Crisitello had his hands on it. He has owned at least 11 Studebakers, including a 1947 Commander and four Avantis, and currently owns seven electric vehicles, none newer than 1994. Crisitello feels computers and his quirky car hobby are a perfect match. “With computers I have to understand what each machine can do and can’t do,” he said. “It’s basically the same with cars.”

Seems like old times: Crisitello’s experience with both computers and Studebakers goes back to the early 1970s when he worked in Prudential Insurance’s Newark computer center and needed a cheap little runabout for commuting. “I picked up a 1960 Studebaker Lark, and I fell in love with it,” he said. “They’re very simple machines. It gave me an understanding of engineering over the years and that’s what brought me into the world of Studebaker.” Crisitello still has that Lark, as well as fond memories of his computers at that time, “If you remember the computers in old TV shows like Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea – those were the kinds of computers I worked on, with the flashing lights and a whopping 8K of memory. You might start a sort on a Monday and finish by Wednesday.”

Going green: Although Rutgers is moving toward a more paperless approach, Crisitello’s computers and printers still crank out the equivalent of about 70,000 sheets of paper a day. “The university has a growing amount of documents online, but we still use a lot of paper,” he said. While document production gets greener, Crisitello also tries to use his hobby to do his part. He has become an expert on zero emission vehicles (ZEVs) and neighborhood electric vehicles (NEVs), and sometimes commutes to and from Rutgers in an electric pickup truck.

There’s a connection: True to his favorite car line, Crisitello is quick to point out that Studebaker’s first cars, from 1902 to 1911, were electrics. While all his Studes have been gas-powered, Crisitello got into NEVs and ZEVs about five years ago when he bought a 1977 Sebring-Vanguard Citicar, which is still being restored. These tiny two-seat, wedge-shaped, all-electric cars made Vanguard the fifth largest American carmaker in 1975. Crisitello also pitched in as part of a group and bought five 1980s-era electric postal vans, which also need a lot of work. Bitten by the electric bug, Crisitello wanted something he could actually drive, and about four years ago he bought a 1994 Chevy S-10 pickup truck on eBay that had been converted to full electric power.

True zero emissions:  Crisitello’s S-10 is a true electric vehicle, using no gasoline at all. “It relies solely on 20 six-volt, deep-cycle batteries,” he said. “On average I have been traveling between 28 to 35 miles, to and from work with some around-town driving added in. Keeping up with traffic, my average speed is between 25 and 40 miles per hour. I’ve had her out on the highway doing 55 miles per hour, but that speed drains the power supply badly. Recharging takes about 16 hours using a standard 110 volt outlet, and about $2 worth of electricity.”

Looking to the future: Crisitello is a member of the Electric Vehicle Association and has been thinking about starting a more localized club at the university. “When I took my ZEV through state inspection, I was told my vehicle was not the first they had seen, but I have not yet connected with any other New Jersey electric vehicle owners,” he said. Crisitello is also hoping that Rutgers eventually sets up charging stations for electric vehicles – one time on his way home, he began seriously running out of battery power with about three miles to go. “By the time I got home, I was doing about two miles an hour,” he said.