Committee hears feasibility study and pilot results for curbside EV charging, urges faster deployment

The Land Use and Transportation Committee on Dec. 8 held a broad hearing on curbside electric-vehicle charging that combined findings from a feasibility study, pilot results and vendor experience.

President Rafael Mandelmann framed the hearing and said constituents want faster progress; Nicole Appenzeller (San Francisco Environment Department) summarized goals (25% of registered private vehicles electric by 2030, 100% by 2040) and noted the city’s need for a mix of public chargers including a near‑home curbside component. Appenzeller said the city’s rough target for curbside is 100 curbside chargers by 2030 and that the MTA recently secured funding to install 250 Level 2 chargers in city garages; she described the pilot, a completed feasibility study and $150,000 in Prop L funding for planning.

SFMTA planner Broderick Paolo said the feasibility analysis (consultant: Arup) found citywide opportunity but flagged permitting complexity and electrical interconnection as key constraints. He described the demonstration pilot (three approved vendors: It’s Electric, UrbanEV, Volt Post) and said the pilot is approaching its maximum of nine chargers across vendors (two sites already operational, several pending). Vendor representative Shannon (It’s Electric) described a model that uses extra building capacity rather than immediate new utility service, reported that utilization at the first sites rose from about 10% to almost 56% after adjustments, and said the vendor model runs at no cost to the city while sharing 20% of revenues with participating building owners.

Supervisors pressed agencies on speed and equity: President Mandelmann and others urged a faster timeline than the “100 chargers by 2030” goal and asked what steps would meaningfully accelerate deployment. Agencies said SFMTA will act as the front door for a new permitting pathway (TAMS leading), Public Works will manage excavation/encroachment permits, DBI will manage electrical permits, and SFPUC/PG&E will advise on grid readiness. SFMTA’s Kate Torn said the agency will be the front door and aims to have a permitting structure in place in 2026; the committee recorded a motion to continue the hearing to the call of the chair and to return in roughly three months for an update.