San Francisco city leaders push for curbside EV charging stations
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
Supervisor Rafael Mandelman held a press conference yesterday in support of EV curbside charging stations. Photo: Courtesy of Rafael Mandelman's office
City officials want to install thousands of curbside EV charging stations throughout San Francisco to support EV adoption, and said they hope to have a pilot program in place by next year.
Why it matters: San Francisco is working toward becoming a net-zero emissions city by 2040, and city leaders see curbside EV charging as imperative to meeting those goals.
Driving the news: District 8 Supervisor Rafael Mandelman, alongside leaders from the San Francisco Environment Commission and other city agencies, announced Tuesday that the city is assessing the feasibility of a curbside EV charging program.
- The first step is to evaluate how to install, operate and maintain curbside public charging stations in the city.
- Mandelman said the hope is to implement the pilot by next year, but city agencies still need to determine the project's cost.
What they're saying: "It's about creating a more equitable and sustainable transportation ecosystem," he told reporters.
The big picture: Fossil fuels from transportation account for nearly half of greenhouse gas emissions in San Francisco, according to city data.
- As part of the city's goal to reach net-zero emissions, San Francisco has set an interim goal for 25% of all registered vehicles to be electric by 2030.
- Meanwhile, as California plans to ban the sales of new gasoline-fueled vehicles in 2035, the cost of charging electric vehicles is increasing.
Yes, but: "The most serious obstacle today to replacing fossil fuel cars is getting access to power for residents of multifamily housing," Marc Geller, co-founder of the Golden Gate Electric Vehicle Association, said at the press event.
- Geller said he sees curbside EV charging stations as a useful tool for those who don't have access to affordable EV charging at their homes.
Friction point: Mayor London Breed has ordered city departments to focus only on their core operations and plan for 10% budget cuts in each of the next two years.
- Without spending reductions, San Francisco's deficit could reach $1 billion in 2027.
- Breed will present her budget on June 1, and the Board of Supervisors has until July to review it.
- Breed has been supportive over the years of increasing EV charging infrastructure, but has not commented on the proposed plan involving curbside EV charging stations.
What to watch: If all goes according to plan, the city aims to install 5,000 curbside charging stations throughout the city by 2030.
- Meanwhile, Mandelman introduced a resolution at Tuesday's Board of Supervisors meeting urging support for the initiative.