Curbside Electric Vehicle Charging Pilot Proposed for Dogpatch

Municipal officials are asking Dogpatch and Duboce Triangle residents and businesses for advice about the best locations to mount curbside electric vehicle (EV) charging stations. The installations would be part of a pilot program developed by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) – responsible for regulating curb space – San Francisco Public Utilities Commission, and the Building Inspection, Public Works, and Environment departments. 

The pilot’s purpose is to explore whether curbside charging would encourage EV adoption by residents who don’t have access to off-street parking. Through the initiative the City hopes to collect use and demand data to inform development of broader curbside EV charging policies.

Officials believe that a shift from gasoline to electric-powered vehicles is essential to achieve the City’s climate goals, lowering greenhouse gas emissions. 

Pilot details remain sketchy, including related to timing and potential electricity prices. The charging stations will be installed and maintained by one or more private companies. Three businesses – San Francisco-based Urban EV LLC and Voltpost, and Brooklyn-based it’s electric – are vying to provide pilot services. 

Once in place, existing parking regulations, including keeping spaces clear for street cleaning, will remain extant. Unless a station is posted as having more stringent limitations, a vehicle with the proper residential parking permit (RPP) may park as long as it’s charging. A vehicle without a RPP that’s charging will be required to adhere to the posted time limit during enforcement hours. 

“The major benefit to any new charging programs is added accessibility and convenience for San Francisco residents. The City is committed to building a robust charging network that is a blend of off-street/garage charging and new curbside options,” said Joe Piasecki, Environment Department public affairs and policy coordinator.

According to Donovan Lacy, Dogpatch Neighborhood Association (DNA), president, SFMTA invited DNA members on a walk to discuss potential curbside EV charging station sites. 

“We want to provide SFMTA with a list of alternate places where EV owners could charge their vehicles for longer periods of time, potentially adjacent to a park,” said Lacy.

He added that there are already many free, fast EV chargers in the southeastern neighborhoods, including located at the Whole Foods at 450 Rhode Island Street and Safeway at 2300 16th Street. 

“We have not heard from Dogpatch residents that EV chargers are a high priority. We have heard from them about the need for more rather than less Muni routes in our neighborhood as well as the need for pedestrian and bicycle safety improvements. Also, putting EV chargers at curbs would make it difficult to have protected bike lanes. If the goal is to install more charging stations, SFMTA should look at existing parking lots throughout the City,” said Lacy.

Potential sites include a Port of San Francisco parking garage south of Crane Cove Park, University of California, San Francisco parking lots, and a large empty parking lot on Iowa Street between 23rd and 25th streets. 

“The 10 line is suspended, and now SFMTA is exploring further cuts to Muni in Dogpatch and Potrero Hill. On the whole, EVs are better than gas-fueled automobiles. But buses are a lot more efficient in reducing greenhouse emissions and getting folks around faster and more efficiently,” said Lacy.

“Right now, we’re in a fiscal crisis,” said Peter Belden, a Potrero Hill resident and EV owner. “Public transit is still recovering from the dip in ridership during the COVID-19 pandemic. The City has to be really serious and careful about how it spends its limited time and dollars.” 

According to Frank Tizedes, a Duboce Triangle resident, his neighbors worry that EV chargers would bring more cars to the community. They question how spots adjacent to EV chargers could affect bike riders through the Wiggle, a route that runs through some of the area’s flattest spots.  

Tizedes said that dedicating spots to EV charging could add to the stress caused by Sutter Health employees who park near California Pacific Medical Center’s Davies Campus.

“Hospital employees park throughout our neighborhood but do not have RPP stickers, constantly move cars create an unsafe environment, as they jockey for parking every two hours. It’s hard to manage traffic here because of that,” said Tizedes.