Seattle has 25 new curbside chargers for EVs, with more on the way

More than two dozen curbside electric vehicle chargers are now available across Seattle.

Installed by Seattle City Light in the city’s residential neighborhoods, the Level 2 chargers will provide an electric vehicle with 30 miles of range per hour of charge time, the utility said on its website.

The chargers are designed to expand options for EV drivers who live in older Seattle homes, apartments or condominiums without access to a driveway, garage or parking lot for charging, said the utility, which owns, operates and maintains the chargers.

Drivers will pay 21 cents per kilowatt-hour; one kWh typically provides enough energy for around 3 miles of driving. An hour of charging will cost about $2. Drivers can pay at many locations using a debit or credit card or the Shell Recharge phone app.

Fees will help cover electricity, operations, maintenance and repair costs of the chargers, while offsetting the initial purchase and installation costs, according to City Light.

The Level 2 chargers are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

Additional charging sites are expected to be installed by the end of 2024. The utility chose the sites after a public submission process and input from city staff, it said.

Construction for the chargers was originally scheduled to be finished by 2023 but was delayed because of design changes, Seattle City Light spokesperson Jenn Strang said.

Of those sites not yet online, two stations are installed but not yet available due to issues with electricity access. Four had “moderate delays due to unforeseen infrastructure conflicts.” In one case, there was ongoing construction at the site where the station was planned, Strang said.

“We plan to reassess and eventually complete these at (a) later date,” she said.

The utility also has a few fast chargers throughout its service area that can provide around 3 miles per minute of charging.

More details about each charging site can be found by visiting st.news/EVchargers.