San Francisco Launches Citywide Curbside EV Charging Program, Residents Can Nominate Installation Sites

San Francisco has officially launched a citywide initiative to build curbside electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, marking the first time residents are granted direct input in site selection. Spearheaded by the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA), the program aims to systematically address charging access challenges for residents living in high-density urban areas without private parking spaces.

Under the latest rollout, SFMTA has opened applications for qualified charging operators. Simultaneously, residents can now nominate specific locations — including streets, public facilities, and other suitable sites — for EV chargers via the city's newly launched ChargeUp SF map. This mechanism is especially critical for the large number of residents living in apartments or condominiums who lack private garages or driveways.

"For San Franciscans without garages or driveways, convenient access to charging often determines whether EV ownership is practically feasible," said Tyrone Jue, Director of the San Francisco Department of the Environment. "We're transitioning from early-stage curbside pilot projects to building a stable, scalable public charging network — giving more residents a real opportunity to choose electric vehicles and helping cut transportation-related emissions."

Licensed operators must apply for separate construction permits for each proposed station. SFMTA has publicly released a comprehensive Permit Application Package, covering equipment standards, operations & maintenance requirements, data reporting protocols, and detailed site technical specifications.

The program evolved from a pilot launched in 2025: In April of that year, two initial curbside chargers went live at 55 Fillmore Street in the Duboce Triangle neighborhood. The pilot involved three charging providers — it's electric, Urban EV, and Voltpost — and focused on validating user demand intensity, grid interconnection feasibility, site selection logic, and suitability of various charger designs. It also Discovery, underscoring that community engagement must be an essential component of all future deployments.

Full implementation of the citywide plan will take several years: Operators must complete qualification reviews, on-site surveys, utility coordination, community consultations, and individual site permit approvals. Yet San Francisco has established a sustainable, ongoing implementation framework — and for the first time, embedded resident Minyi input directly into the front end of infrastructure planning.

Notably, San Francisco has set a clear phased target: to build and commission no fewer than 100 curbside public EV charging stations across the city by 2030.