Curbside EV chargers a step closer to landing on San Francisco streets

San Francisco on Friday began accepting applications for prospective companies to participate in its recently launched electric-vehicle curbside-charger initiative, which environmental and political leaders say is a vital step towards The City reaching its climate goals.

The initiative, announced in April, would install 5,000 curbside electric-vehicle charging stations across The City by 2030.

The City is seeking firms with technology that can be permitted and installed quickly, and can provide convenient and affordable charging to San Franciscans.

“We’re hoping to invite the industry to share their proposals with us and see how we can gather data together,” said Henna Trewn, a clean-energy specialist with the San Francisco Environment Department.

Climate advocates and city officials are betting that curbside charging will incentivize more San Franciscans to buy electric vehicles.

Last year, electric vehicles accounted for an estimated 37% of new-vehicle registrations at addresses in San Francisco — more than four times higher than any other county in the nation. San Francisco is pushing to reach 100% by 2035 as part of its Climate Action Plan , which calls for The City to be carbon neutral by 2040.

Advocates said that, after costs, access to fast and reliable charging is the biggest barrier to drivers switching to electric vehicles .

According to The City, 70% of San Franciscans live in multiunit dwellings, many without access to at-home charging.

“Eighty-five percent of drivers in this country will charge at home if they have a garage,” said Tiya Gordon, climate activist and founder of the public electric vehicle charging company itselectric. “But most city drivers don’t have garages — the street is their garage. So we just need to put charging, basically, everywhere.”

“We want charging to be as ubiquitous as fire hydrants,” she said.

But getting to that point is easier said than done, especially in spaces as contested as sidewalks in San Francisco.

That’s why The City is first soft-launching the curbside-charger initiative with a pilot program, through which it can collect data on the pain points and how they can be addressed.

“To make this successful, you have to reduce these barriers of red tape and deliver on as lean a process that you could possibly come up with that ensures not only safety but also equity,” Gordon said. “So, how do we get these chargers everywhere? How do we get them out fast?”

Trewn said the time it takes for drivers to charge their vehicles and how much the chargers are used are two key metrics that The City will evaluate.

“If the electric-vehicle transition doesn’t meet the number of chargers we’re putting in a particular area, then are you just taking away parking spaces from people who just don’t have electric vehicles right and who can’t afford it,” San Francisco Environment Department Director Tyrone Jue said. “That’s why this is a much more equitable and novel approach that we’re doing.”

After the chargers are deployed, they will remain on the street or curb for up to two years as The City gathers data and moves toward broader implementation. Joseph Sweiss, climate advisor to Mayor London Breed, said he hopes the chargers will begin to be deployed by the fall.

Interested companies can apply through The City’s website for free .