By Karl Hays, Co-Managing Editor
Electric vehicles are an increasingly popular option for drivers in California. EV sales have soared more than 1,000 percent over the past decade, and California officials report the state is on track to achieve even greater EV adoption in the next 10 years. Even at CSUDH, commuters will notice several Teslas, especially at Lot 3 outside Welch Hall.
So, where are all the EV chargers?
CSUDH currently has a total of 10 EV charging stations installed across all campus parking lots. There are six stations at the northwest corner of Lot 3, two stations at the southwest corner of Lot 2, one station at the Physical Plant parking lot, and one station at the Housing P3 lot.
The charging stations come with some rules: drivers must have a valid CSUDH parking permit and can only charge their cars for three hours at a time to avoid citation.
Last fall, the CSUDH Sustainability Office and University Parking and Transportation services sent a joint email about additional resourcing coming soon to campus. The email noted plans for the “immediate construction” of 100 new EV charging stations in Lot 3, but the project stalled.
According to Sustainability director Ellie Perry, the university was ready to move forward in partnership with utilities provider Southern California Edison, but SCE added language to its contract with CSUDH that it had not with any other CSU campus. This prompted additional legal review and approval from the CSU Chancellor’s Office before any contracts could be signed to start construction.
Perry said high staff turnover and ongoing negotiations with SCE helped to delay the project for nearly eight months. Although an agreement was finally reached in August 2023, supply chain issues caused additional delays.
But as the saying goes, “good things come to those who wait,” and the delays proved to be fortuitous for the university. During that time, SCE’s Board of Trustees voted to grant CSUDH an additional 100 stations for free.
“We are now in process of signing an updated agreement this semester and Edison is assuring us they have resolved their supply chain issues,” Perry said. “We will now be able to construct all 200 stations in Summer 2025.”
Perry noted that construction of the stations would be free of charge, “because [CSUDH] is located in a disadvantaged community.” She said the cost of construction would otherwise be at least $700,000.
There will be at least some cost for drivers, however. All the EV chargers, including the current stations, will be equipped with Chargie hardware. Drivers will have to pay 35 cents per kilowatt-hour to help “keep charging costs consistent, equitable, and affordable.”
Still, the development was welcomed news to some Toros. Rhoda Posey, a Tesla driver who works in the Financial Aid Office, told The Bulletin that the charging stations can’t be installed soon enough.
“We could use more stations because folks who are parked there may stay for longer than allowed,” Posey said. “If you are working or in class and a space opens up, you’ll most likely miss it – creating more spaces will open that up.”
