Electric vehicle fast charging stations coming soon to downtown Hayward

The City is partnering with local power provider East Bay Community Energy (EBCE) to bring electric vehicle (EV) fast charging stations to municipal parking lots and garages in downtown Hayward. EBCE is funding the purchase and installation of the chargers, which can charge an EV in 20 to 50 minutes.

California aims to have 5 million EVs on the road by 2030 and the Bay Area is leading the way toward meeting this goal. Today, about 3,000 EVs are registered to drivers in Hayward. This is projected to jump to about 11,000 by 2025, and it is estimated that the City will need more than 150 additional fast chargers to support those EVs.

The State has also mandated that all new passenger vehicles sold in California must be electric by 2035. Paired with the recently approved Inflation Reduction Act, which extends tax credits for new and used EVs, adoption is expected to grow exponentially in the next few years as zero-emission cars become more affordable for drivers.

To meet the coming demand for convenient and affordable EV fast charging stations, the City and EBCE are exploring potential installation sites. Each installation would include 10 dual-port fast chargers capable of charging 20 EVs simultaneously. The first confirmed project site is the Cinema Place parking structure. One to two additional locations may be selected and Municipal Lots 1, 2, 4, 5, and 6 are under consideration. Once the site(s) are identified and engineering analysis is completed, development is expected to begin in mid to late 2023.

Questions and comments about the project can be sent to environment@hayward-ca.gov.