Today the San Diego City Council approved an innovative agreement to add hundreds of new electric vehicle charging stations at public facilities throughout the City, making it more accessible and convenient for residents and visitors alike to charge their vehicles when needed. The stations will be installed at City libraries and recreation centers within the next two years.

The Council awarded a contract to True Upside Consulting LLC (TUC) for installation and maintenance of the charging stations. Under the terms of the contract, True Upside will pay the City for the use of the public property and will own and operate all the chargers on City parking lots. The program lays out a process for the City to buy out the installed infrastructure with revenue collected over the 10-year contract, not to exceed $60 million.

"This innovative public-private partnership will help deliver more EV charging stations to San Diegans across the city," Mayor Todd Gloria said. "The agreement exemplifies our commitment to advancing our Climate Action Plan and ensuring that electric vehicle charging is accessible and feasible for our residents.”

“This is a tremendous win for our City and will go far toward helping us achieve our Climate Action Plan goals and core benefits like improved air quality,” said Heather Werner, Interim Director of the City’s Sustainability and Mobility Department. “This contract ensures all San Diegans can be confident in transitioning to cleaner electric vehicles regardless of where they travel in the City or whether or not they can charge at home.”

While a 2023 state law requires installation of electric vehicle chargers at all new construction locations, the agreement approved today goes further by ensuring all communities in San Diego receive charging stations, including older and historically disadvantaged neighborhoods, because recreation centers and libraries are spread throughout the City.

San Diego has more than 400 City-owned parking lots, with nearly 100 of them located at community recreation centers and libraries. Those lots will be the focus of the first phase of construction. In later phases the chargers will be installed in parking lots at the following locations: 

• City beaches. 
• Municipal office buildings, and fire and police stations, where many City employees work. 
• Parks and open spaces.

City staff is conducting a photographic survey of all recreation center and library parking lots to evaluate the best spots for new charging stations. Public feedback will be solicited through neighborhood focused outreach and engagement to ensure the communities’ unique needs are met, while also keeping residents up to date on construction schedules as they proceed.

The agreement also calls for existing charging stations throughout the City in public locations, such as Balboa Park and around Mission Bay, to be swapped out for new stations from Loop Global, the strategic charging hardware partner in the TUC proposal. This will ensure that all public charging stations at City parking lots have the same user experience because they are owned and operated by a single entity. EV drivers can download the Loop app at https://loopglobal.com/#mobile-app.