EV Charging Stations Now Available on Campus

October 04, 2021 - 04:20 PM

Students now have access to 59 new ChargePoint charging stations located in two new parking structures on the south side of Temple Avenue on Bonita Drive.

"The EV charging stations are an important piece of a larger carbon reduction effort," said Eera Babtiwale, Special Projects Director of Sustainability. "Transportation emissions are the biggest component of our carbon footprint at Mt. SAC. These EV charging stations will help promote the use of electric vehicles. As more people start coming to our campus in electric cars, our greenhouse gas emissions will decrease, which will ultimately help us reduce our carbon footprint."

The EV charging stations are free to use for students and employees of Mt. SAC. Students and employees may charge their vehicles for up to four hours a day. A student, staff or day use ($4) parking permit is required to use the two parking structures.

"The EV charging stations represent one facet of the college’s commitment to sustainability, and most importantly an opportunity for our students and staff to share in that commitment," said Gary Gidcumb, Senior Manager, Construction.

Aviation student Noah Lehman, who moved from Santa Cruz to attend Mt. SAC, said he sold his SUV to buy the plug-in hybrid he now uses in Southern California. “Since coming down here, I have spent zero dollars on gas."

Lehman said using the charging stations is incredibly easy. “You just download the app onto your phone and scan it, and then plug in your car. It takes about 30 extra seconds. Plus, these are fast chargers.”

Although availability of parking (or lack thereof) is commonly one of the primary grievances of students at Mt. SAC, many students still do not know about them. This combined with the fact that the college has been experiencing lower in-person enrollment due to the pandemic means that there is plenty of available parking stalls in the structures.

The Champion Structure (or Lot R), which stands next to the Hilmer Lodge Stadium, is now complete and in full use, with new tennis courts and more parking available on the top level.

The Gateway Structure (or Lot S ) is located on the southwest corner of Temple Avenue and Bonita Drive. All levels of the structure are currently in operation, however, some construction activity is still occurring on the structure. A covered bridge will take students from the structure, over Temple Avenue, and into a new Transit Center that is being built on the north side of the street. Another bridge is also under construction, which will link the new Athletics Complex to the rest of the campus.

Except for the top levels of the two structures, the parking in them is completely covered and will keep cars cool on sunny days and dry on rainy ones.