San Francisco has secured a $5 million grant from the California Energy Commission to expand its electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure, which will be matched by $2.8 million in city funding. The combined $7.8 million investment will support the installation of 403 new EV chargers dedicated to the city’s municipal fleet.
The chargers will be deployed at 36 publicly owned facilities and are expected to power up to 800 additional light-duty EVs—covering 40 per cent of San Francisco’s non-public safety light-duty fleet. This infrastructure push is part of the city’s broader plan to reach net-zero emissions and achieve an all-electric municipal fleet by 2040.
“With this grant and our fleet assessment, we now have the knowledge and ability to install over 400 chargers across the city to power city vehicles,” said City Administrator Carmen Chu. “We estimate this will meet 40 per cent of charging needs for the city’s common fleet and is a win-win because it’s good for the environment and lowers ongoing operating costs.”
The new infrastructure will serve a total of 15 city government departments. At present, only 8 per cent of San Francisco’s non-public safety fleet consists of battery-electric or hydrogen-powered vehicles.
“For San Francisco to reach its climate goals we need to address auto emissions, and electrifying our city fleet is part of that,” said Rafael Mandelman, President of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors. “In my time on the Board I have worked to expand EV charging infrastructure citywide, and this investment is an important step toward a cleaner, fully electrified municipal fleet.”
