Electric vehicles have become more commonplace in the Bay Area in recent years and Diablo Valley College is no exception.

“Midday, I see many of the chargers being used simultaneously, which tells me the demand is already there,” said David Hagerty, manager of the Sustainability Committee at DVC, which has helped facilitate the growth of EV infrastructure at the college.

In fact, the number of people using electric cars to get to campus has boomed in the last five years. According to Tracy Marcial, who manages the mechanics of EV charging stations at DVC, drivers have charged their electric vehicles at the Pleasant Hill Campus a total of 16,136 times since 2019.

At the school’s San Ramon Campus, the number is even higher, reaching 17,293 charges during the same period, she said, “with the number of charging sessions doubling each year.”

In 2024, EV charging stations at the Pleasant Hill Campus were used on average 16 times a day, and 25 times a day at the San Ramon Campus, she said.

To meet the growing demand, Marcial said, “all future construction projects at DVC will require the addition of more charging stations at parking lots, such as those planned at Lot 2 at the Pleasant Hill Campus. There are also several grants available to install charging stations for both public and fleet vehicles.”

The Pleasant Hill Campus currently has a total of 20 charging stations: two in Lot 9, four in lot 4A and 14 in Lot 5. On the San Ramon Campus, there are 10 charging stations at the rear parking lot beside Watermill Road, Marcial said. 

On both campuses, users pay 20 cents per kilowatt hour of charging, with an additional $4 per hour charge after charging for four hours. The most popular charging durations at Pleasant Hill include the 30-minute sessions and the four-hour sessions, with an average charging session here lasting around 1.8 hours, Marcial added.

Teachers and students at DVC have differing opinions about the parking lot spaces being occupied by EV charging stations. 

 “I’m currently satisfied with the number of EV charging stations here,” said Chris Wu, a faculty member teaching mathematics at the Pleasant Hill Campus who drives a Tesla Model 3. 

Still, Wu said he feels it would be more practical for himself and other EV drivers if there were more charging stations. 

“It would be way more convenient if we had the same setup as the teacher’s parking lot at Parking Lot 1 and Parking Lot 2, so it’s closer to the other classrooms for the students,” he added. “It would also be cool to have more near where the bus station is.” 

Janiece Mollique, a student who attends classes on the Pleasant Hill Campus, also supports the current status of EV-only parking spots and charging stations, despite not owning an EV herself.

“I don’t think it’s an inconvenience or anything,” said Mollique, who drives a Volkswagen Jetta and also owns a Nissan 350Z. 

“For me, personally, I don’t really feel like, ‘No, that shouldn’t be there’. I think it’s honestly fine, it doesn’t really bother me,” she said.

The construction costs of installing the charging stations and supporting EV infrastructure are paid through a combination of campus funds (20 percent) and grant funds (80 percent), which are provided by various agencies including the Bay Area Air Quality Management District and 511 Contra Costa, as well as the energy utility PG&E, according to Marcial.

Hagerty said the DVC Sustainability Committee would like to see more charging stations installed across the college over the next three to five years.