SF's 1st Curbside EV Charging Stations to Debut in These Neighborhoods

San Francisco’s push to expand electric vehicle infrastructure marks an early but critical step in the city’s ambitious plans to meet its climate goals, according to an adviser of Mayor London Breed.

This week, Breed announced two neighborhoods, Dogpatch and Duboce Triangle, that will soon be the first to see curbside electric vehicle charging stations. But Breed, who leaves office next week, won’t be there to oversee future phases.

“It’s inherent that whoever is leading MTA next — and as we prepare for our incoming mayor — we know for a fact that these climate and environmental values don’t change,” Joseph Sweiss, Breed’s climate adviser, told KQED. “Because we’re all San Franciscan.”

The charging stations are a key feature of the city’s curbside EV charging pilot program, a collaboration between the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency, Public Works and the SF Public Utilities Commission designed to expand accessibility to electric vehicle charging.

“This pilot exemplifies the City’s efforts to reduce carbon emissions from the transportation sector and meet our climate goals,” said Jeff Tumlin, the now-former SFMTA director of transportation, in a Dec. 30 statement.

Tumlin, who resigned last year after serving five years in the role, will be succeeded by a new appointee selected by Mayor-elect Daniel Lurie.

Breed’s office also selected three companies — Urban EV, it’s electric and Voltpost — that will move forward with proposals to bring the curbside EV charging stations to residents.

“As a local company, we are deeply committed to advancing sustainable transportation and addressing the unique challenges of urban electrification,” Urban EV founder Alex Grant said in a statement. “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.”

In addition to the permitting process beginning for stations in the Dogpatch and Duboce Triangle neighborhoods, Breed’s office said the expansion to other neighborhoods could be expected “in the coming weeks.”

“It’s not going to be perfect,” Sweiss said, “but this is a bold new approach to embrace technology and work with communities to find what works best.”

The city, which is looking to reach net-zero emissions in 2040, is trying to install a select number of chargers in the coming months for up to two years or until it has completed the city’s implementation effort.

Sweiss said the city would experiment with placing the stations in several neighborhoods, taking feedback from residents and proceeding from there.