San Francisco officials last week debuted the city’s first curbside electric vehicle charging stations in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood as a part of a pilot program that officials want to expand to provide residents who have no charging options, especially those who live in apartment buildings.
EV owners can now charge their cars at two designated parking spots, located at 55 Fillmore Street, in front of the International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers (IBEW) Meeting Hall. The parking signs indicate that these spots are available from Monday to Friday, between 8 a.m. and 9 p.m., with a two-hour time limit. Street sweeping will occur on Thursdays from 8 a.m. to 10 a.m. Residents with a parking permit letter “S” will be able to charge overnight.
The city partnered with the company, It’s Electric, to install the stations, with IBEW providing the power to the stations. Those who want to use the spots will need to sign up with the company to receive a charging cable. Residents can also sign up to request a charging spot in their neighborhood. If one is located near them, property owners could receive a portion of the revenue generated from the charger.
“We are honored to reduce the complexities of charging for S.F. EV drivers and to open the door for adoption for drivers who were hesitant to go EV because they didn’t have anywhere that they could charge,” Tiya Gordon, cofounder of It’s Electric said.
The charging costs at the stations are $1.85 per hour from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m. and $3.50 per hour from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., according to the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA).
“These two chargers and more to come, complement the charging that we also have available in the SFMTA city garages, and together, they’re part of making great transportation choices in San Francisco, regardless of how you get around,” SFMTA Director of Transportation Julie Kirschbaum said.
The opening of the new chargers coincided with the city’s Climate Week.
“This is the time to put chargers like these in the ground and to take action within our communities to create the future that we want,” San Francisco Environmental Director Tyrone Jue said. “We’re trying to transition all of these fossil fuel-burning vehicles on the road to reduce the amount of particulate matter in the air and improve the health of our communities.”
Board of Supervisors President Rafael Mandelman said the city had been working on a roadmap for EV charging stations for a decade through various working groups and climate action plans.
“The strategy of only doing chargers through garages is not going to work if we’re trying to get everybody who has a car switching over to an electric car,” Mandelman said.
The supervisor will call for a hearing request at Tuesday’s board meeting to hear the results of a feasibility plan for a broader rollout of charging stations citywide.