A prominent downtown corner has been sustainably repurposed as a new 20-station electric vehicle charging lot.
At the corner of W. Carrillo and Chapala Streets, The Electrify America station will increase charging supply for a region where electric cars are a popular transportation choice. As the city climbs towards its sustainability goal of 45% EV adoption by 2035, charging supply must meet increasing demand.
“I think this was a big missing piece of the puzzle,” said Dan Hook, a local EV driver, as he unplugged his Rivian car from one of the chargers before returning to work. “EVs are very popular in this market, Santa Barbara in particular.”
Around 17,500 fully electric cars drive the county’s roads, said Sean McCarthy, climate project manager at the Community Environmental Council. An additional 21,000 hybrid vehicles also contribute to the county’s leading numbers in sustainable transport.
As of 2024, 29.7% of new car sales in the City of Santa Barbara were hybrid or battery EVs. This rate is higher than county, state and national levels, according to Jefferson Litten, city energy and climate division manager.
The new “Hyper-Fast” chargers are Electrify America’s second station in Santa Barbara, located at 36 West Carrillo Street. The corner was previously a Greyhound Bus stop. A popular MTD bus station sits next to the chargers.
“Having different infrastructure for different types of transit is ideal,” McCarthy said. “That corner has kind of become a transit center.”
For people who are less certain about EVs, whether it be their dependability or affordability, the new chargers are a step toward accessibility, according to McCarthy. For disadvantaged communities and low-income families, EV prices and infrastructure aren’t always in their reach.
The Community Environmental Council provides technical assistance in both Spanish and English, and educates low-income families on what financial incentives they qualify for. According to Litten, 20% of Santa Barbara Clean Energy – a city-run electricity provider – customers who received EV related rebates are qualified for even bigger deductions.
The new stations on Carrillo Street are Electrify America’s largest public energy storage system to date. The system’s batteries collect and store solar energy during low-usage times. During times of high demand, the batteries release energy. This process maximizes use of renewable energy, according to an Electrify America Press Release.
The press release also discussed the burden of soaring gas prices on families, with EVs being a potential way to cut these costs. Gas not only costs dollars, but clean air, too. The city’s climate action plan, adopted in 2024, aims to increase zero-emission vehicle use adoption to 55% by 2035.
“If a gas station is a good use of space, then an electric vehicle charger station is definitely a good use of space,” McCarthy said.
