The University of California, Santa Cruz has installed 12 new EV charging ports at its Central Heating Plant, comprising four DC fast chargers and eight Level 2 units. The ports are reserved for university fleet vehicles from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m., then open to public use during evenings and weekends. The project received financial support from the California Energy Commission's Clean Transportation Program.
Why it matters: The installation demonstrates how public institutions are building dedicated charging infrastructure to support fleet electrification targets, with dual use models that maximise asset utilisation. The inclusion of DC fast charging addresses operational downtime concerns that often slow fleet conversion decisions.