San Francisco, California, is eager to become a “global climate hub.” Considering its millions of residents and their millions of cars burning gas while stuck in traffic, this initiative is not terrible. The city’s goal is to have 25% of cars be all-electric by 2030 and 100% by 2040, and to reach that goal, residents desperately need infrastructure.

San Francisco is trying to accomplish those goals by installing it’s electric EV chargers by the curb. Drivers can create a profile on the company’s website, purchase a cable, and enjoy Level 2 charging in designated parking spots. The company says it’ll cost drivers between $1.85 and $3.50 per hour to charge, and would take about 6 to 8 hours to charge completely.

The company says its goal is to provide quick, easy, reliable, and affordable charging to EV owners. Especially since most residents don’t have a garage to charge from.

“We wanted to create that same gold standard for everyone who has a garage and they can plug it in and wake up to a full battery in the morning, and we want to give that to everyone, and that includes people who park on the street,” Tiya Gordon, co-founder of it’s electric, told KPIX.

Nearby property owners benefit from the EV chargers

It’s electric chargers are simply but effectively designed: the company works with the San Francisco Environment Department (SFE), San Francisco Public Works, and the San Francisco Municipal Transportation Agency (SFMTA) to tap into unused electricity from residences and businesses and funnel it to the chargers.

That way, the chargers utilize electricity that’s already there, creating no extra costs to property owners. The company and property owners will share all revenue generated by the chargers. So, literally everyone wins.

Depending on how well the pilot program goes, it’s electric with work with city government agencies to install hundreds, if not thousands, of chargers for EV drivers.

Locals assume it will produce more crime

Obviously, having EV owners buy their own charging cables was likely a way to deter the all-too-common crime of cutting charging cables to extract the copper within. However, KPIX’s viewers feel as though the tactic will harm private owners instead of charging companies.

“Nice, this seems like a really easy way to have cables stolen,” a viewer wrote. “No thanks.”

Someone else thinks it will encourage more cars in the city, and eat up real estate for protected bike lanes.

“I thought SF was supposed to be a bike-friendly city,” they wrote. “Now this is just going to make it harder for cyclists with EVs parked and charging.”

Others say it won’t be much benefit to owners if car thefts and burglaries are on the upswing.

“Too bad they installed them in an area where cars are broken into all the time,” they wrote.