MILLBRAE, CA – California State Assemblymember Diane Papan, Millbrae Mayor Anders Fung, San Bruno Vice Mayor Marty Medina and other local leaders joined WestLight Energy, GoPowerEV and the San Mateo County Association of REALTORS® (SAMCAR) at a ribbon cutting celebrating the installation of one of the largest multifamily electric vehicle (EV) charging installations on the West Coast.
The new 143 EV smart outlet chargers installed at the Bayview Condominiums in Millbrae by GoPowerEV provides one charger at every parking spot, with zero out-of-pocket costs to the HOA, highlighting the groundbreaking potential of scalable EV charging at multifamily properties through right-sized and cost-effective technology and utility partnerships.
“We know that it is easier to make the transition to an EV when you are able to charge your car when you come home,” Mayor Fung said. “The greatest challenge for EV drivers in multifamily complexes like Bayview is the ability to install EV charger in an HOA managed garage environment. But we at PCE have found a right-sized and cost-effective solution to install EV chargers for multifamily homes across Millbrae, across the San Mateo County, across California and across the nation.”
“This project is more than chargers in a garage—it’s cleaner air, healthier communities, and a stronger future for California,” Assemblymember Papan said.
“Multifamily properties have long been underserved in the EV charging market,” GoPowerEV Founder John Reister said. “Our PowerPort technology makes it financially and logistically efficient to deploy EV charging at scale in apartments and condos, without expensive electrical upgrades. For approximately the cost of three shared chargers, a property can deploy between 15 and 20 GoPowerEV ports.”
Each Level 1 smart outlet charger was installed at a cost of roughly $2,000 per parking space and was entirely paid for through WestLight Energy’s “EV Ready” program. That installation cost is four to five times cheaper than installing faster Level 2 chargers, which are often used in commercial parking areas but not needed for the daily driving and overnight charging demands of residents.
It comes on the heels of another large-scale installation of 92 smart outlet chargers at the Woodland Creek apartment complex in East Palo Alto, which also was funded and installed as part of the EV Ready program.
The two projects demonstrate the scaling potential of these smart outlets for EV charging, an increasingly utilized and proven model that can be replicated throughout California for expanding EV charging to multifamily housing.
Since multifamily properties represent one of the biggest existing gaps in EV charging, these projects are demonstrating how to provide much needed EV charging for apartment and condo residents that have historically largely been unable to charge at home.
The California Energy Commission also recently added these Level 1 smart chargers to the Communities in Charge light-duty EV charging incentive, which is entirely focused on multi-family housing.
“This is further demonstrating the State sees the potential for the same type of right-sized EV charging for apartment and condo residents that WestLight Energy’s EV Ready program is specifically directed at expanding in its service area,” WestLight Energy CEO Shawn Marshall said.
“The Bayview installation confirms WestLight Energy’s commitment to investing locally as we help communities transition to cleaner energy,” Vice Mayor Medina said. “This project delivers a triple benefit: reducing climate impacts, improving our air quality, and enhancing public safety.”
The ribbon cutting was recognized as an official Clean Air Day event by the Coalition for Clean Air, California’s only statewide organization working exclusively on improving air quality.
The transition to EVs and other low-emission vehicles is tied to considerable public health co-benefits, including air quality and respiratory health. University of Southern California researchers in 2023 for the first time published real-world data to quantify the air quality and related co-benefits of an early EV transition, including a decrease in asthma-related emergency room visits.
About WestLight Energy
WestLight Energy is a Community Choice Energy agency. It is the official electricity provider for the communities of San Mateo County and Los Banos. Founded in 2016 with a mission to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, the agency serves a population of 810,000 by providing more than 3,600 gigawatt hours annually of electricity that is 50 percent renewable and 100 percent clean and at lower cost than PG&E. As a community-led, not-for-profit agency, WestLight Energy makes significant investments in its communities to expand access to sustainable and affordable energy solutions. Follow us at PenCleanEnergy.com, X, Facebook and LinkedIn.
