UC Santa Cruz has installed 12 new electric vehicle charging ports at its Central Heating Plant as the university builds out the infrastructure needed to completely transition its campus fleet away from gasoline- and diesel-powered vehicles as it continues to move toward its sustainability goals.

The installation includes four direct current fast-charging ports and eight Level 2 ports at the Red Hill Road facility which are reserved for university fleet vehicles from 6 a.m. to 5 p.m. which then become available for public use during evenings and weekends. The project received financial support from the California Energy Commission’s Clean Transportation Program, according to an announcement by the university.

UC Santa Cruz Transportation and Parking Services Executive Director Dan Henderson said in a statement:

“This has been a successful collaborative effort between TAPS, the Decarbonization Infrastructure Program, Fleet Services, and the Sustainability Office. This new charging station significantly supports the University’s transition away from fossil fuels, and the addition of rapid charging will greatly improve charging availability and access for all university vehicles.”

The addition of fast charging is particularly important for university operations because it reduces the amount of time fleet vehicles have to remain out of service while charging.

Charging capacity is expanding across campus

The Central Heating Plant project is part of a broader charging expansion for UC Santa Cruz, which noted that another 14 Level 2 charging ports are scheduled or funded at three of its locations: four at the Emergency Response Center, eight at Hagar Family Student Housing, and a dual-port station at the Scotts Valley Center for fleet vehicles and employees.

The move toward an electrified fleet isn’t new for the university, however, which already had a substantial charging network before the latest installations. In fact, UC Santa Cruz’s 2025 Annual Sustainability Report listed 78 active EV charging ports and identified expansion of charging capacity as a priority for supporting additional zero-emission vehicle purchases.

A year earlier, the campus reported 69 active charging ports and said it was designing additional Level 2 and DC fast-charging locations across both its residential and satellite campuses. At the time, the university also was preparing to receive several medium- and heavy-duty all-electric fleet vehicles, according to university news.

Fleet conversion requires infrastructure first

UC Santa Cruz has identified fleet electrification as one of the more cost-effective ways to reduce operational greenhouse gas emissions, but its own data show that the transition is still a work in progress. The university’s 2025 sustainability report highlighted the fact that 17% of its fleet consisted of sustainable vehicles, while 24% of vehicles acquired during the reporting period met the university’s definition of sustainable.