Sausalito approves public EV charging stations
Sausalito is planning to install public electric vehicle charging stations.
The city entered a contract with a San Francisco company, Integrative Charging, to purchase, install, maintain and manage 10 stations. Four stations are planned at City Hall and six at Dunphy Park.
The agreement was approved at a City Council meeting on May 7.
“Sausalito has a commitment toward sustainability,” Mayor Ian Sobieski said. “This is another in a series of steps in service of that goal.”
The project has no out-of-pocket costs to Sausalito, according to Kevin McGowan, the director of public works. Integrative Charging, a partner in the project, will manage the installation, finances, operations and maintenance of the chargers. The license agreement with the company would produce around $5,000 a year for the city through a 20% net revenue share, according to a staff report.
McGowan said the timeline is still up in the air and depends on permits, installation and construction, but he is hopeful the stations will be up and running by late July. The stations will be available to everyone. The cost will be in line with market rates, while also accounting for time of use, electricity rates and maintenance.
“We are excited to install new EV stations in Sausalito and look forward to expanding the installation of more EVs in the future,” McGowan said.
Originally, the city planned to pursue seven charging stations in three locations: a public parking lot, Dunphy Park and City Hall. However, a study of the electrical capacity of each area ruled out the parking lot location.
“The latest number of stations was determined by the electrical capacity available at each site and the ease of accessing that electrical system,” McGowan said.
The new charging stations are mutually beneficial to residents and the city, McGowan said. For residents, charging electric vehicles will be more convenient and reduce reliance on gas stations. For the city, it reduces its overall carbon footprint and furthers sustainability goals.
“This step toward modernity is the culmination of leadership from the members of the community, the Sustainability Commission and the previous and current City Council,” Sobieski said.
Carlo Berg of Sausalito wrote to the City Council in support of the project.
“Please install more electric chargers,” he wrote. “This will be great for the city.”