San Francisco Issues RFI for Electric Vehicle Infrastructure

The Office of the Mayor and the Department of the Environment (SF Environment) of the City and County of San Francisco are reviewing opportunities to design and implement a variety of projects, pilot programs, technologies and policies that will accelerate the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in San Francisco. An RFI has been issued, and submittals are requested by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, September 19. Questions, requests for clarification, and requests for additional information must be submitted by e-mail to cleanair@sfgov.org.

Points of Interest

Specific topics for which project concepts are requested include the following points of interest:

• Deployment of EV charging infrastructure that will accommodate the needs of the full range of vehicles requiring access to electrical charging, including plug-in hybrids, low-speed EVs and full-function battery EVs.
• Deployment of charging systems that universally accommodate vehicles from all manufacturers, and that comply with all applicable building codes, UL safety codes, ADA requirements and industry standards.
• Deployment of charging systems that meet customers' EV charging needs in any or all key locations including residential garages, commercial garages and parking lots, transit hubs, workplace locations, and on-street parking in residential and non-residential neighborhoods. (Note: an important consideration for San Francisco is determining how to provide access to overnight charging for a high percentage of residents who do not have residential parking facilities.)
• Use of "smart charging" concepts to minimize charging during on-peak hours and to maximize customer convenience, and which may be compatible with the utility industry's Advanced Metering Infrastructure systems (smart meters).
• Provision of attractive EV charging subscription or billing rates for customers, and convenient billing systems.
• Incorporation of renewable energy with the EV charging system.
• Coordination of EV charging system programs with the City's priority of minimizing individual driving through, among other means, encouragement of ride-sharing, carpooling, shuttle services and car-sharing networks.
• Consideration of means to accommodate the extended-range needs of EV drivers, such as fast charging or battery swap systems.
• Development of educational programs for consumers, schools, automotive technicians, policy makers or other key audiences to assist with market acceptance of electric vehicles and charging technologies.
• Vehicle-based programs to accelerate the introduction and use of electric vehicles by fleets or individual customers.

For more information on the Request for Information and to view the submission procedure, visit Mayor Newsom's Web site.