Seattle to install hundreds of new curbside EV chargers

The City of Seattle is launching a project to install 200 new EV chargers across the city, and you can apply to have one installed on your block.

Seattle City Light and the Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) are partnering for the project, which is an expansion of a pilot program that installed 58 chargers at 31 locations around Seattle in 2023 and 2024. The city will prioritize apartment dwellers for the project.

Ballard already has one curbside EV charger at 1722 NW 57th St, installed two years ago as part of the pilot program.

City Light and SDOT are accepting applications now through fall 2027 for new charging locations. The two departments will review applications and select the new locations, to be selected in batches of 40 to 50 at a time, on an ongoing basis.

Here’s the city’s criteria for selecting new locations:

• Proximity to the Nearest Existing Curbside Charger – the program will prioritize new chargers in places that are not already served by curbside chargers
• Population Density – the program will prioritize areas near multifamily housing where more people can be served
• Proximity to parks, grocery stores and business – the program will use the “walk score” metric to ensure sites are nearby businesses and public amenities that lead to higher utilization Multiple Adjacent Requests – the program will select areas that ensure many nearby customers will be served
• Request from Multifamily Housing Property – the program will prioritize multifamily housing properties that have high barriers to providing residents with EV charging
• Overburdened Communities – the program will direct investment into communities that bear the highest pollution burden and have experienced underinvestment

The city will start designing the sites in spring 2027, with the start of installations expected next fall. Installing chargers will take about two weeks of construction.

There are three different types of chargers: A pedestal, standalone charger, a steel pole charger, and a wood pole charger. Seattle City Light will operate all curbside chargers, which are open to the public on a first-come, first-served basis, with no reservations allowed.

The Level 2 EV chargers will provide up to 9.6 kilowatts (kW), which the city says can provide a typical midsize EV with up to 30 miles of range per hour of charge time. These types of chargers are frequently used for multiple hours at a time.

The Seattle Transportation Levy is funding the new chargers, with additional money coming from Seattle City Light.

Photo: Seattle City Light