San Francisco is taking steps to expand the number of curbside electric vehicle charging stations to make it easier for residents, including renters who own electric vehicles, to find stations closer to home.
Mayor Daniel Lurie on Tuesday introduced legislation to create a permit process to allow for more charging stations on the city’s curbs. Lurie said at a press conference that for the first time, the city will have a “clear process to allow curbside EV chargers to be built across neighborhoods here in San Francisco.” Lurie continued, “This legislation will expand access to reliable charging, especially for renters, [and] people who live in apartment buildings.”
Under a pilot program, the city has already installed two It’s Electric charging stations in April of last year in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood in front of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers Meeting Hall. At the same location on Tuesday, Lurie and city officials announced the proposed legislation.
The proposed legislation creates a permit program that the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency’s (SFMTA) Taxis, Access and Mobility Services will oversee. It will start accepting applications from curbside charging companies in the summer, according to the Mayor’s Office.
“Our priority is simple. We’re trying to create a feasible, equitable, and responsive pathway to meet this important community need,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said.
Other departments involved in the new permit process include the Department of Environment, Public Works and the Public Utilities Commission.
Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman said that “the first, most environmentally friendly thing” the city can do is to make it possible for residents to get around the city without having a car, but added that some residents may still need to use a car.
“When they have those cars in San Francisco, we need those cars to be electric vehicles, and not everybody has a charger in their own garage,” Mandelman said. “This needs to be a thing that is available and accessible to people who live in buildings that do not have those garage chargers.”
Ashkan Javaherian, an electric vehicle owner, said he was about to sell his vehicle until the new charging stations were installed in Duboce Triangle. Javaherian said that owning an electric vehicle is only practical for homeowners who have a garage.
“In a city where so many residents are renters, that’s just not an equitable solution,” Javaherian said.
Kirschbaum said the agency is considering installing more chargers in Dogpatch and on Treasure Island. The city has a goal of installing 100 charging stations by 2030.
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