Infographic by Charlotte Braden

California Lutheran University partnered with Southern California Edison to install a series of electric vehicle charging stations on campus in accordance with a recent California-wide mandate, according to Ryan Van Ommeren, associate vice president of Planning and Operations. 

Currently, Cal Lutheran has 24 charging stations with two charging ports each installed in its upper level parking lot, with plans in place to install 24 more on the west side of campus near its Old West dorm complexes, Van Ommeren said in an email interview.

Jeff Monford, senior advisor of corporate communications for Edison International, said in an email interview that the charging stations were donated by EVGateway, a third-party electric charging station manufacturer, and supported through SCE’s Charge Ready program, which provided the underlying electrical infrastructure. 

Monford said Edison provided power for the stations and all the electrical framework “under the hood,” including installing protective tubing, wiring and “other electrical components needed to make the site ready for site installation,” all at no cost to the university. 

“SCE provided the make-ready infrastructure that powers them, essentially all the electrical work that happens under the hood,” Monford said. “Once our portion was complete, the university worked with a third-party provider to install and operate their own chargers.”

Started in 2016, the Charge Ready program was put in place to “assist business and property owners with deploying the infrastructure and equipment necessary” to build EV charging stations at their locations.

The program provides “financial incentives, infrastructure, and technical support to facilitate the installation and maintenance” of the charging stations, according to SCE’s website. 

Van Ommeren said that while he personally believes strongly in on-campus sustainability efforts, the university installed the charging stations to “prepare” the community following a recent statewide mandate. 

“Although I have been actively promoting sustainability on campus for many years, we did not accept the offer for that reason,” Van Ommeren said. “The state of California has mandated that all [car sales] be zero-emission by 2035, and we accepted the offer in order to better prepare our community for an electric-vehicle future.”

Monford said the program is designed to minimize obstacles and make clean transportation more accessible. 

“This type of collaboration helps expand access to EV charging by reducing barriers for property owners and institutions interested in electrification,” Monford said. 

The charging stations are open to anyone at Cal Lutheran, as well as members of the local community through a third-party app managed by the EVGateway. 

Robert Dull, professor and chair of the Earth and Environmental Sciences Department, said in an email interview that the chargers will play a role in reducing the campus’s overall carbon footprint.

“Considering the number of commuters we have coming into our campus daily, cutting down on the CLU commute carbon footprint is essential,” Dull said. “Being able to charge the cars while attending class or working makes this process more seamless.”

Dull said he thinks a statewide switch to electric vehicles could create a  reduction in carbon dioxide emissions. 

“The average car in California emits about five metric tons of [carbon dioxide] per year, whereas the average EV emits about one metric ton annually,” Dull said. 

Dull said he is unsure whether the chargers will immediately prompt more people to buy electric vehicles, although he views the infrastructure as a key step forward. 

“Creating a supply of chargers is the first big hurdle,” Dull said. “The infrastructure can be very expensive.” 

Dull said he plans to incorporate the charging stations into his coursework, using them as a teaching tool in discussions about transportation and sustainability.