San Francisco, CA – Mayor London N. Breed today announced the next phase of the City’s Curbside EV Charging Pilot Program in a significant step forward in expanding access to electric vehicle charging infrastructure. By advancing proposals from three leading electric vehicle charging companies, San Francisco will move closer to achieving its climate action goals and supporting equitable adoption of EVs for residents without off-street parking.
The program is a collaborative effort between various City departments including the SFMTA, San Francisco Public Works, San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and the San Francisco Environment Department (SFE). The initiative will also engage community stakeholders to ensure broad support and successful implementation.
EV charging providers first apply by detailing their technology and proposed installation locations. The City then reviews applications to ensure they meet the necessary criteria and support San Francisco’s Climate Action Plan and equity goals. Once approved, applicants can proceed with obtaining any required permits, such as Excavation Permits from Public Works.
Once installed, the program establishes a data-gathering partnership with the charging providers to monitor usage, demand, and other key metrics. This information will guide the development of a comprehensive citywide policy for curbside EV charging. The goal is to implement and install a select number of chargers in the coming months, for up to two years or until San Francisco completes its citywide implementation effort.
This new curbside street charging plan is the latest effort in Mayor Breed’s work to advance electric vehicle charging as one major climate action goals that aligns with other efforts like advancing clean power programs, eliminating natural gas, building electrification, and funding community programs around electrification, emissions reduction, urban greening, composting, waste and toxics reduction, and environmental justice programs.
“From our historic cable cars to the autonomous vehicles on our streets, San Francisco’s spirit of innovation is visible all around us,” said Mayor London Breed. “Soon, curbside charging will be yet another example of how we are leading the way. Over the last few months, we have been working hard to quickly meet the fast-growing charging needs of our residents. By partnering with cutting-edge charging providers, we are not only providing a new service but also paving the way for scalable solutions that can serve communities across the City.”
This next phase of the pilot program builds on months of collaboration between the City - including the Environment Department, SFMTA, and Public Works - and prospective EV charging providers to first refine their proposals, ensuring feasibility and effectiveness prior to formally applying for the necessary permits and public hearings. This proactive approach minimizes financial risk for the providers and ensures that selected locations are well-suited for installation, paving the way for rapid implementation.
“This pilot exemplifies the City’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector and meet our climate goals,” said SFMTA Director of Transportation Jeff Tumlin. “We can help improve access to a cleaner commute by supporting multiple modes of low carbon transportation.”
The three EV charging providers that are working to advance their proposals to the next phase are Urban EV, it’s electric, and Voltpost.
San Francisco based Urban EV is dedicated to expanding electric vehicle charging access in urban communities, particularly where people live and work. By collaborating closely with multifamily and commercial property owners and operators, Urban EV develops tailored EV infrastructure solutions that enhance amenity profiles while improving operational revenue. Their approach not only serves end-users but also boosts property value, contributing to the broader adoption of electric vehicles in densely populated areas. In the context of San Francisco's Curbside EV Charging Pilot Program, Urban EV's proposal focuses on integrating user-friendly charging stations into residential neighborhoods, aiming to provide convenient and reliable access for residents without off-street parking. Their strategy emphasizes seamless integration with existing urban infrastructure, ensuring minimal disruption while maximizing accessibility and user engagement.
it's electric is a Brooklyn-born company that partners with property owners to utilize untapped electricity supply, enabling the installation of compact, user-friendly chargers without the need for extensive street work or direct utility connections. This model not only facilitates convenient access to EV charging for city dwellers but also offers property owners a passive income stream. it’s electric's proposal focuses on deploying their sleek, detachable cable chargers in residential neighborhoods, aiming to seamlessly integrate into the urban landscape while providing efficient charging options for EV owners. Their solution emphasizes quick installation, minimal disruption, and equitable access to support the city's sustainability goals.
- San Francisco and New York based Voltpost is on a mission to decarbonize the planet by democratizing access to connectivity and mobility. The company is revolutionizing urban EV charging by retrofitting existing lamp posts into a modular, upgradable Level 2 charging platform. This innovative approach significantly reduces installation costs and time, requiring no construction or trenching, and seamlessly integrates into cityscapes. From developing prototypes of the Voltpost lamppost charging platform at Humanmade in the Design District to commercializing the platform on Howard Street in SoMa, Voltpost’s chargers are designed for rapid deployment, offering scalable and equitable charging solutions for urban communities. Voltpost will deploy lamppost retrofit technology to provide convenient and affordable curbside charging access. Their solution emphasizes cost-effectiveness and the utilization of existing infrastructure to support the city’s sustainability and electrification goals. Voltpost’s intelligent infrastructure platform will also enable digital services across connectivity, smart grid, sensing, and media verticals in the future.
In this next phase, the pilot will begin the permitting process to advance proposals seeking charging stations in Duboce Triangle and the Dogpatch with the possibility of expanding to other neighborhoods in the coming weeks.
“Urban EV is proud to call San Francisco home and to collaborate with the City on this groundbreaking pilot program,” said Alex Grant, Urban EV Founder. “As a local company, we are deeply committed to advancing sustainable transportation and addressing the unique challenges of urban electrification. By innovating alongside the City and its residents, we aim to create solutions that not only serve today’s needs but also pave the way for a cleaner, more connected future for San Francisco.”
“Our partnership with San Francisco allows us to collectively demonstrate our unique model of low-impact curbside charging that not only brings no-cost infrastructure to the curbs of San Francisco, but economic benefit to residents of communities all across the city,” said Tiya Gordon, COO of it’s electric. “Even better, our community-requested charger approach allows us to meet drivers where they are – removing the biggest barrier to EV adoption which was until now, access to public charging.”
“Voltpost is thrilled to collaborate with San Francisco in redefining how cities can embrace sustainability through existing infrastructure,” said Luke Mairo, Co-founder, COO of Voltpost. “Our lamppost retrofit technology demonstrates how urban spaces can be transformed to meet the demands of a cleaner transportation future. Together, we’re setting a new standard for what’s possible in urban electrification.”
Mayor Breed’s Administration leaves a significant legacy of progress on San Francisco’s climate and electrification efforts:
- As Supervisor, Breed was successful in leading the effort to launch San Francisco’s clean public power program, CleanPowerSF. Today, CleanPowerSF serves 385,000 customers with renewable, accessible, and affordable energy and is credited with much of San Francisco’s success reducing overall carbon emissions. CleanPowerSF is also expanding its renewable energy portfolio with a new solar and battery storage project. The commitment to battery energy storage has helped California surpass 10,000 megawatts of capacity, a 1,250% increase since 2019. This is critical for achieving the state's goal of 100% clean electricity by 2045.
In 2019, Mayor Breed sponsored groundbreaking legislation, the first of its kind in the nation, requiring commercial parking lots and garages with more than 100 parking spaces to install EV charging stations in at least 10% of the parking spaces. In 2022, San Francisco’s Planning Code was modernized to expedite the creation of a more robust EV charging network for San Francisco residents and visitors. The legislation revised land-use zoning to move San Francisco from fossil fuel-based transportation to an all-electric future and created a clear zoning pathway for sites with existing automotive uses, such as gas stations or parking lots, to convert to an EV charging location. These successful EV initiatives have helped the City’s new EV car registrations increase by over 37%.
In 2020, San Francisco moved forward with phasing out natural gas in new and significantly renovated City buildings, as building operations are responsible for 41% of San Francisco’s emissions. In 2021, San Francisco mandated all brand-new, above-ground construction be all-electric instead of using natural gas. This law does not apply to any renovations or existing properties but ensures new developments aren’t reliant on fossil-fuels. San Francisco also requires large commercial buildings to use greenhouse-gas-free electricity by 2030. Existing commercial buildings that are 50k square feet or larger must switch to the SFPUC’s CleanPowerSF SuperGreen option by 2030.
In 2022, San Francisco’s Planning Code was modernized to expedite the creation of a more robust EV charging network for San Francisco residents and visitors. The legislation revised land-use zoning to move San Francisco from fossil fuel-based transportation to an all-electric future and created a clear zoning pathway for sites with existing automotive uses, such as gas stations or parking lots, to convert to an EV charging location.
- Last year, Mayor Breed launched the City’s first Climate Action Community Grants, totaling over $900,000 to local community organizations. The grants support building electrification, emissions reduction, urban greening, composting, waste and toxics reduction, and environmental justice programs.
For more information on the City’s Curbside EV Charging Pilot Program, visit sfgov.org/ev-curbside.
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