By Tyrie Lane, Jan. 24, 2023
With the growing population of electrical vehicles on campus, Cal Poly Pomona has shifted the regulations on time allowed at each parking station.
The regulations emphasize a four-hour limit at the parking stations, due to drivers not abiding by the rule. Students shared their thoughts on the new regulation, as well as security concerns regarding the stations.
Fashion major Indra Meza shared her concerns with the current state of the campus charging stations and some changes that may be beneficial to add. Meza explained that she now charges her car partially at home so that it can save time when running a bit late to class.
“Charging my car at home obviously is a help but it can become a bit frustrating leaving campus without charging my car because the possibility of the lot being in use or full is high just due to the amount of students and staff with electric vehicles,” said Meza.
Meza also shared grievances concerning the number of charging lots on the campus, due to the need to share the stations.
“Being that we are sharing the charging stations, there needs to be more charging lots so that people who need to charge and go can simply do that. It becomes a tad frustrating having to cycle out when there are cars who aren’t electric parking in the spots intended for us to charge,” said Meza.
Kinesiology student Adam Hernandez gave insight on the charging station and how he created a work around for the charging stations.
“Since the stations are always known to be packed or out of service, I justtendtoleaveprepared so I don’t have to depend on the campus and wait longer just to get around,” said Hernandez.“It would help to have a few stations spread out on campus so that there aren’t hot spots waiting for charging.”
Director of Parking & Transportation Services, Mike Yu, was looking into the state of charging stations to create new solutions. Yu detailed that the transportation services department is aware of the state of charging stations and how the department is actively looking to create new solutions, while allowing for students and faculty to be able to charge their vehicle and head into campus.
“Our demand at the moment is just a tad higher than our supply. The reason for the four- hour time limit being in place is to help shift a bit of the supply among the masses so that everyone will be able to effectively usethechargingstations,” said Yu.
Yu broke down the process behind the chargingstationsandhow the stations are supposed to be properly used when on campus.
“EV cars have been around for a while but for some of our own staff and students their electrical vehicle experience may be fairly new. Because it’s a new process, agencies will provide free charging to the campus thus costing nothing for you to charge”, said Yu.
Yu explained the intended use of the electrical vehicle charging stations and how they can pinpoint the miscommunication between the students and the department due to the stations not being intended for a full charge.
“The stations in place aren’t meant for your car to be charged from zero to 100%. That would tie into the four-hour time limit being in place so that students or staff with electric vehicles will be able to charge while also giving someone else the same luxury,” said Yu.
Drawing attention to the out of service electrical stations as well as lack of campus charging options, Yu shared the transportation departmentsplansheaded into the new year.
“The current state of the charging stations also falls upon finding a local contractor who is willing to provide the service,” said Yu. “The department is actively looking for a service provider who could help implement a smoother charging experience while on campus.”
With the campus’s current state of renovation, Yu explained that Foothill Silver Streak is planned to be implemented during January, due to the high cost of implementing new parking spaces that would lead to more expensive parking passes.
Hernandez added that the campus should investigate the cars that aren’t electrical that take up the spots from students. Not only does it prove to be a major inconvenience, but students can no longer use the provided EV stations the campus.
“If UPD could monitor the areas a bit better so that everyone with an electrical car can actually charge that would be great. It’s really a slap in the face driving to the charging station and seeing a gas-powered car there,” said Hernandez.
Feature image by Minuet Bando