Mayor Lurie’s 100 Curbside EV Charger Plan Targets SF’s 70% Apartment Dwellers

San Francisco Mayor Daniel Lurie has revealed a plan to install 100 curbside electric vehicle chargers across the city. The plan targets the 70% of San Francisco residents who live in multifamily housing. Most of these residents don’t have access to private garages or home charging stations.

San Francisco is installing 100 curbside EV chargers to help the 70% of residents living in multifamily housing.

San Francisco’s housing breakdown shows why this matters. About 69% of residents live in buildings with two or more units. Many of these buildings were built before home EV charging was ever considered. Renters make up 66% of the city’s households, totaling 244,927 renter-occupied units as of 2020.

The city’s rental market adds more context. Most rental units fall under rent control, and many come from buildings built before 1980. These older buildings weren’t designed with EV charging in mind. With an average rent of $3,397 per month, many residents can’t afford to own homes where they’d have charging options.

The plan is aimed at giving apartment dwellers a fair shot at EV ownership. Right now, drivers who rent often can’t charge at home. Curbside chargers would let them plug in near where they live, just like homeowners do in their garages.

The city’s demographics also support the need. About 36% of households are single-person, and 54% are non-family households. These residents are more likely to rent and less likely to have private parking. The median income in San Francisco is $112,449, so many residents can afford EVs but lack the charging access. Research shows that wealthiest 10% of earners are responsible for over two-thirds of global warming since 1990, making equitable access to clean transportation solutions like curbside EV charging a critical step toward broader climate accountability.

Public support for urban infrastructure changes is strong in San Francisco. About 68% of residents approve of high-density development near transit, and 81% of those aged 18 to 39 support it. This younger group is also more likely to embrace EV technology.

San Francisco’s geography and housing density make curbside charging a practical solution. The city’s 371,851 total households are packed into a limited amount of space. With 32% of housing units in buildings with 20 or more units, there’s a clear and large group of residents who’d benefit from Mayor Lurie’s plan. San Francisco recorded 198,939 non-family households in 2020, a group that skews heavily toward renting and is among those most likely to lack private charging access. The city’s new rental registry covers approximately 233,518 units, highlighting just how large and underserved the renter population is when it comes to modern infrastructure like EV charging.