San Francisco moves to begin installing curbside EV chargers

Curbside electric vehicle chargers are coming to San Francisco, the mayor's office announced Friday, and they could start being installed within the next six months.

Why it matters: The chargers are intended to expand the EV infrastructure , making it more convenient and affordable , especially for apartment dwellers who cannot charge their cars at home and must rely on expensive DC fast chargers.

• San Francisco has set a goal of installing at least 1,700 public chargers by 2030, though some city leaders are aiming higher .

How it works: The pilot program for curbside chargers invites providers, which may include companies like Electrify America and Tesla, to submit applications detailing their technology and proposed installation locations.

• If a provider's application meets the city's criteria — such as the charging site being placed adjacent to the curb in a noncommercial corridor — it will be able to seek the necessary permits.
• Providers must participate in a data-gathering partnership with the city to monitor usage, demand and other key metrics that will inform the city's policies around EV charging.
• The city is also including an equity component to consider socioeconomic demographics, priority populations for climate investments, and density when evaluating proposed locations.

State of play: San Francisco has seen a surge in demand for EV charging in recent years, SF Environment Department director Tyrone Jue told Axios.

• Electric vehicles and plug-in hybrids comprised 37% of all new vehicle sales in the city last year, according to Jue.
• Yet nearly 70% of residents live in multi-unit dwellings, which means they may not have direct control over their building and may lack access to off-street parking or home charging.

What they're saying: "One of the biggest barriers to personal vehicle electrification is where they have to charge when there's a lack of charging for multi-family residents in particular," Jue noted.

• The goal is to "try to have as close to the home-charging experience as possible" by installing curbside chargers in places where people normally park overnight, clean transportation program manager Henna Trewn told Axios.

The big picture: San Francisco is aiming to reach at least 25% electrification of new registered vehicles by 2030 and 100% by 2040.

• It costs an average of $0.50 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) to charge an electric car at a public fast-charging station in California, compared to the national average of $0.45 per kWh, per data fromEV charger software developer Stable Auto .
• The providers will be setting charging rates, the Environment Department confirmed.

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