San Francisco Greenlights 100 Street EV Chargers by 2030

Living in a city apartment and owning an electric vehicle has always felt like an impossible combination, but San Francisco just changed that equation for thousands of residents.

Mayor Daniel Lurie introduced legislation this week creating the city's first permanent curbside EV charging program. The proposal sets a goal of installing 100 charging stations on city streets by 2030, bringing power directly to neighborhoods where garages and driveways don't exist.

The timing couldn't be better. San Francisco already leads the nation in EV adoption, yet countless residents have faced a frustrating reality: they want to go electric, but have nowhere to plug in at home.

Local driver Ashkan Javaherian nearly gave up on his EV dream because of this exact problem. "I was close to selling my EV, but then I discovered the city's pilot curbside chargers right in my neighborhood," he said.

The new program transforms what worked in the pilot into a permanent solution. Starting this summer, the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Authority will accept applications from charging companies, who can then request permits for specific street locations based on community demand.

City officials designed the system to cut through the red tape that previously made installing chargers a bureaucratic nightmare. Multiple departments will coordinate to speed up approvals and get chargers installed faster.

The Ripple Effect

The impact reaches far beyond individual drivers. More than 700 members of IBEW Local 6 have already completed electric vehicle infrastructure training, creating skilled jobs while building out the charging network.

San Francisco isn't stopping with curbside chargers either. The city recently secured $5 million to electrify its vehicle fleet and plans to expand public garage charging from 55 stations today to 305 by 2027.

These charging stations represent more than convenient parking spots. They're removing the single biggest obstacle preventing renters and apartment residents from making the switch to electric, opening up clean transportation to people who've been left out of the EV revolution.

For a city committed to aggressive climate goals, making EVs accessible to everyone who wants one isn't just good policy—it's the only way forward.