Electric vehicles have accounted for a third of new car registrations in San Francisco over the past couple of years.
Undeterred by national politics — and the uncomfortable reality that the EV wave has lined Elon Musk’s pockets — the city is poised to add significantly more places for residents to charge their electric vehicles (EVs).
In a small but notable step in that direction, transit officials are set to approve the city’s first two curbside charging stations on Fillmore Street in Duboce Triangle on Tuesday, barring any last-minute objections.
These new chargers, each about the size of a fire hydrant, are part of the city’s curbside EV charging pilot announced last June.
The pilot forms a crucial part of a broader initiative aiming to spread more than 1,700 public chargers around San Francisco by 2030.
Currently, the city has around 1,100 chargers but none of them are curbside, which proponents argue is an essential feature for serving the approximately 70 percent of San Francisco residents who lack access to a private garage or driveway, according to the Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
In addition to this curbside pilot, San Francisco continues to expand its charging infrastructure in public lots and garages, thanks in part to a fresh infusion of federal funding.
A $15 million grant from the Biden administration, part of a larger funding initiative, was nearly at risk due to Donald Trump’s election.
However, just before his inauguration, San Francisco lawmakers modified city regulations to ensure that the funds would not be clawed back.
The San Francisco Environment Department now states that it is awaiting further communications from the U.S. Department of Energy about how to allocate the money.
SF Environment spokesperson Joseph Piasecki mentioned that city officials are “cautiously optimistic” that the funding will remain available despite any potential delays.
While the curbside pilot is not expected to be impacted by Trump’s anti-climate initiatives, local politics still present challenges.
Though the removal of two parking spots in Duboce Triangle for the charging stations may seem minor, hundreds more similar installations could potentially follow, leading to driver discontent among fossil-fuel vehicle owners regarding changes to parking spaces and driving habits.
“We know that parking is a bit of a zero-sum game, but we’re having conversations with communities and commercial corridors to see what works best,” says Piasecki.
So far, Mayor Daniel Lurie has not shied away from advocating for EVs.
Last month, he attended an event celebrating the installation of 12 chargers in a public parking lot located in the Mission District, although these were not curbside.
Lurie indicated that EVs represented more than a third of San Francisco car registrations during the past two years, admitting that the 12 chargers installed in the Mission lot “won’t be enough.”
Additionally, he donated a $134,000 electric truck for his official use, demonstrating his commitment to increasing the city’s EV presence.
In 2004, San Francisco first pledged to reduce local greenhouse gas emissions through improved construction materials and more sustainable transportation options.
The city reaffirmed its environmental goals in 2021 by committing to achieve zero net emissions by 2040.
While climate change may not currently remain at the forefront of local consciousness — at least until the next dramatic event, such as an orange-sky day — privately-owned vehicles continue to represent the largest source of emissions in the city.
Most residents own at least one vehicle, and the introduction of curbside charging could encourage them to transition to electric, according to supporters of the program.
However, the city must first successfully execute its pilot program.
The purpose of the pilot is to determine how to best provide public charging solutions for residents relying on street parking.
The two chargers on Fillmore Street will test a range of concepts, including optimal charging fees per hour, strategies to ensure the spots remain available for EV drivers, and which charger designs function most effectively.
Each unit has the capability to provide 20 to 30 miles of range per hour of charging, with an hourly charge of $3.50 during the day and $1.85 at night.
These stations will be available around the clock, with non-EVs or non-charging EVs parked in the spaces at risk of receiving a citation.
While the SFMTA has not specified the penalty amount, a comparable New York City pilot program issued over 1,500 citations within the first 18 months, with penalties set at $100.
The charging units are provided by New York-based It’s Electric, which is one of three companies involved in the pilot project.
The two other participants, Urban EV and Voltpost, have offices in San Francisco with charger locations still under consideration.
It’s Electric’s system aims to address a common problem faced by charging stations, where their cables often require repairs due to misuse or vandalism.
Drivers participating in the program receive a complimentary cable that they can transport and plug into the station.
Tiya Gordon and her husband David Nathan founded the firm in response to the lack of charging options available to urban residents without garages.
“If you make it hard for people to charge their cars, no one will transition,” Gordon explained while speaking to The Frisc.
Describing her journey, Gordon shared how she relied on biking and public transit while living in Brooklyn until the pandemic hit and forced subway shutdowns.
When she eventually needed a car to visit family members outside the city, she was determined to purchase an EV despite the lack of accessible charging options near her apartment.
The nearest charging location was three miles away in a private garage where she would incur additional charges for both parking and electricity.
“Not many people are going to do that,” remarked Gordon.
It’s Electric partners with building owners to derive power from their electrical panels, installing a separate meter to monitor electricity usage.
Licensed electricians are responsible for wiring, and the company utilizes a shallow trench to run the cable from the building to the sidewalk.
According to Gordon, the entire procedure takes only two days.
To facilitate the electricity access, property owners can earn up to $1,000 per year per charger based on a share of the revenue generated.
It’s Electric claims that this business arrangement ensures that cities incur no costs for the service while still collecting fees from permits and citations.
The company also takes care of installation and maintenance expenses.
This arrangement sidesteps a significant hurdle for public EV charging: directly connecting to the electrical grid which, in San Francisco, typically requires additional work from Pacific Gas & Electric, the utility that owns the city’s grid and currently faces a backlog of connections for EV charging and other infrastructure.
A similar pilot in Boston recently opted for It’s Electric based on its innovative business model and low installation cost, according to Boston Transportation Department spokesperson Nick Osborne.
Moreover, any property owner can collaborate with It’s Electric to host a charger installation.
San Francisco’s inaugural installation will utilize power from the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Local 6 union hall located at the corner of Fillmore and Hermann streets.
Gordon emphasized that all installations by the company will utilize union labor, having established a partnership with IBEW international.
If the SFMTA board approves the project on Tuesday, It’s Electric indicated that the charging stations could be operational by April 22 — Earth Day.
The company also has plans to deploy chargers in Alameda and Detroit within the next six months.
As San Francisco prepares for its curbside charging pilot, stakeholders are keen to learn from experiences in other cities.
Assuming there are no obstacles from Trump’s Energy Department regarding the $15 million grant, San Francisco anticipates enhancing its charging infrastructure in various public lots and garages, including a planned installation in a Bayview parking lot later this year.
Meanwhile, SF Environment spokesperson Piasecki mentioned that residents are actively expressing interest in curbside chargers.
The significant questions going forward include determining the most appropriate locations and timelines for the installations.
To date, the two additional companies selected for the pilot — Voltpost and Urban UV — have yet to submit permit applications.
Furthermore, Voltpost, which draws power from streetlights to energize its chargers, must work through coordination with either PG&E or the SF Public Utilities Commission, depending on the specific location of the chargers.
“We know there is not a single answer for how to provide curbside charging,” acknowledged Piasecki.
Cities that have previously tested curbside EV charging have encountered varied results.
Municipalities such as Los Angeles and Seattle, which own their electrical grid, can implement chargers more rapidly.
Los Angeles, Seattle, and New York have run experiments for at least a year, with Seattle starting out with 50 chargers and LA and New York featuring 100 or more.
All of these initial installations focused on higher-income neighborhoods and reported high usage, although New York faced challenges with illegal vehicle usage of charging spots.
As a result, it is now considering automatic enforcement measures rather than relying on reports from frustrated residents.
These experiences offer valuable insights for San Francisco as it embarks on its pilot program and, if everything goes as planned, potentially rolls out hundreds more curbside charging stations.
Navigating these initiatives amid the complexities of the current political climate presents a unique set of challenges for San Francisco.
The initiatives undertaken by the city, while unable to single-handedly alter the trajectory of rising global temperatures, can nonetheless provide a model for addressing environmental concerns, demonstrating that San Francisco frequently takes the lead in implementing innovative solutions.
image source from：https://thefrisc.com/sf-ev-trump-climate-crusade-local-car-fights/
