Electric vehicle charging stations will pop up at San Diego beaches, parks, libraries and other city-owned parking lots after the council this week passed an agreement that would increase their convoy by hundreds.
The approval grants True Upside Consulting LLC a 10-year contract to install and maintain hundreds of charging stations at city-owned parking lots. In return, True Upside will pay the city $60 million, and after 10 years, the city can buy back the infrastructure with the revenue. True Upside will subcontract Loop for the chargers and San Diego-based Baker Electric for maintenance.
"The agreement exemplifies our commitment to advancing our Climate Action Plan and ensuring that electric vehicle charging is accessible and feasible for our residents," San Diego Mayor Todd Gloria said in a news release on Monday.
Some public commenters, however, cautioned against tying the city to a 10-year contract in a quickly evolving landscape and questioned whether the infrastructure would even be worth buying after the 10-year contract expires.
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While the logistics of the plan have not yet been solidified, the first phase of installation will occur over the next two years and focus on placing EV chargers in approximately 100 parking lots near the city's libraries, recreation centers and beaches.
Chargers will then be added in city workplace parking lots, including fire and police stations.
The city also said about 65 existing chargers around San Diego are expected to be replaced within the first few months after the contract is fully executed so that all stations can provide the same user experience.
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All plug-in and battery EVs will be able to use the chargers, and the rates — which will be reviewed and approved by the city — are expected to "align to current average charging rates in the region," according to the city's Sustainability and Mobility Department.
A 2023 California law already requires EV chargers to be installed at new developments, but the city says its agreement will ensure that "all communities in San Diego receive charging stations, including older and historically disadvantaged neighborhoods."
The city's Climate Action Plan, updated in 2022, calls for phasing out 90% of fossil fuel use in buildings by 2035 through electrification, appliance swaps, working with San Diego Community Power to offer 100% renewable electricity for all customers in San Diego by 2030 and planning for and investing in a mobility network that shifts 50% of all trips to walking, biking or transit and reduces the overall need for vehicle use by 2035.
Additional plans outlined in the update include reducing and diverting at least 90% of waste away from the landfill by 2035, restoring 700 acres of wetlands and related habitats as carbon sinks, and achieving 35% tree canopy coverage by "planting and maintaining tens of thousands of trees, focused first in underserved communities that are vulnerable to extreme heat."
