The nearly 90 new plug-ins are designed to provide a “top-off” supplement for the home chargers of electric-car owners, who now make up only a small fraction of The City’s total traffic. Three hours of charging time could return 80 percent of the power to the battery of a Nissan Leaf; it would be completely full in about six hours, officials say.
Installation is set to begin next month, and all of the new stations should be in place by year’s end. The Mayor’s Office hopes the charging stations will reduce drivers’ “range anxiety” that comes from the newly available models that are completely dependent on batteries and carry an 80- to 100-mile limit.
Bob Hayden, the clean transportation adviser at the San Francisco Department of the Environment, said the program’s goal is to continue reduction of The City’s carbon emissions. If The City must have cars, it’s better that they run on electricity, he said.
“We can call it experimental, yes,” Hayden said. “It’s going to help us learn how much [charging stations] are needed and how frequently they’re used.”
The $300,000 bill for the new program is being footed by a combination of federal, state and local grants, including one from the Bay Area Air Quality Management District. In February, that body granted $3.9 million to four companies to install public charging stations, along with $700 supplements for those who want home chargers.
In all, the money is set to provide the Bay Area with 2,750 new chargers, including 30 public “fast chargers,” which can juice an electric car battery in 30 to 45 minutes. In addition, grants from the Metropolitan Transportation Commission last year include money to establish a fleet of battery-powered taxis.
A news release from the Mayor’s Office said the efforts are aimed at taking San Francisco’s greenhouse gas levels to 20 percent below 1990 levels by 2012. The release also said the transportation sector generates one-third of those gases and that cars and trucks account for 90 percent.
Lee said in the release that he hopes electric vehicle drivers can “build confidence in the new technology.” The Mayor’s Office said other locations, including public libraries, are being explored in addition to the parking garages.
Lee is continuing the charge of former Mayor Gavin Newsom, who set out to make San Francisco a leader among cities that support electric car technology.
Electric vehicles rolled into car lots earlier this year with mass availability of the Nissan Leaf and Chevrolet Volt, and the Silicon Valley-based Tesla Motors also set to enter the mainstream market with its Roadster.
“The idea is that in within five years, 10 percent of cars sold will be electric,” Hayden said.
Plugged in
Where The City plans to have electric-car charging stations:
Civic Center garage
Ellis O’Farrell garage
Fifth & Mission garage
General Hospital garage
Golden Gateway garage
Japan Center garage
Lombard garage
Mission Bartlett garage
Moscone Center garage
North Beach garage
Performing Arts garage
Pierce Lombard garage
Polk Bush garage
Portsmouth Square garage
SFO garages
St. Mary’s Square garage
1600 Mission Street garage
Stockton Sutter garage
Union Square garage
Vallejo Street garage
Read more at the San Francisco Examiner: http://www.sfexaminer.com/local/2011/05 ... z1LsukmPxF
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