EL MONTE – El Monte Union High School District recently completed the installation of 21 electric vehicle charging stations at three campuses, demonstrating its longstanding committing to saving energy and reducing its impact on the environment.

In partnership with Southern California Edison (SCE), the District completed construction in October of seven charging stations at Rosemead, Arroyo and Mountain View high schools. The District has been approved to build 18 more charging stations at El Monte and South El Monte high schools.

“El Monte Union is a proud Green Ribbon School and Energy Star leader, recognized by both the state and U.S. Department of Education for our pioneering efforts to maintain safe learning environments through environmental conservation efforts,” Superintendent Dr. Edward Zuniga said. “These new EV stations are another step forward for the District as we continue to expand our sustainability reach to staff and students.”

El Monte Union qualified in May 2016 to participate in SCE’s Charge Ready program, a $22 million program aimed at making electric vehicle charging stations more accessible at workplaces, living spaces, campuses and recreational areas – locations where drivers park their cars for extended periods of time.

Under the program, El Monte Union will own, operate and maintain the electric vehicle charging stations, while SCE is charged with installing and maintaining the supporting electrical infrastructure, valued at between $160,000 to $200,000 each site.

Program participants cover the expenses of purchase, installation and operational cost of the charging stations. As an incentive to participate in the program, SCE provided rebates to cover some or all of the cost of the charging stations and their installation. The total cost of the charging stations to the District was less than $2,000 after rebates. District electrician Eric Davis volunteered to install the charging stations over a two-month period, saving EMUHSD more than $15,000.

“This has been a significant project for El Monte Union and puts us leaps ahead of surrounding communities for providing our students and staff direct access to highly sought-after EV charging stations,” said El Monte Union’s Energy Manager, Shawn Cun. “We are proud to be a forward-thinking District and are excited for the day when all charging stations are installed and in use.

In June, the District was approved to install eight charging stations at El Monte High School and 10 charging stations at South El Monte High School. The timeline for construction will be determined at a later date.

Anyone with a District email address can register on the EV Connect app, available on Apple or Google Play, and use the existing charging stations at a cost of $.25 per kilowatt during active charging and $.25 per hour when its inactive (plugged in but not charging).

At full capacity, the charging stations have the ability to supply more than 150,000 kilowatts of energy to employees and students annually – allowing for nearly 500,000 miles of travel with electric powered vehicles and offsetting about 140 metric tons of carbon dioxide.

The District has pioneered several energy savings projects, including securing $15.5 million in Clean Renewable Energy Bonds (CREBs) for solar power installation at six District sites and reducing water waste through a landscape survey and retrofit program. El Monte Union was recognized in October with a San Gabriel Valley Water Smart Award by the Upper San Gabriel Valley Municipal Water District for achieving significant reduction in water usage.

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120517_EMUHSD_EVSTATIONS: In partnership with Southern California Edison (SCE), the El Monte Union High School District has completed construction of seven charging stations at Rosemead, Arroyo and Mountain View high schools. The District has been approved to build 18 more charging stations at El Monte and South El Monte high schools as part of SCE’s Charge Ready program.