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Ortega Garage EV Chargers

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In 2024 the Sustainability & Resilience Department and Public Works Department installed the first electric vehicle (EV) fast chargers at a City facility. The fast chargers utilize 100% carbon-free electricity through Santa Barbara Clean Energy for residents, downtown workers, and visitors. Located at the Ortega Parking Garage (Lot 10) in downtown Santa Barbara, the chargers can rapidly charge any EV with up to a 200-mile range in as little as 15 minutes.

The Ortega Garage site includes 12 Tesla Superchargers on the third floor and four ChargePoint fast chargers on the second floor. With this combination of charger types, any EV can now charge at the Ortega Garage regardless of vehicle make or charging connector. The City of Santa Barbara received a $160,000 California Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Project grant from the California Energy Commission and developed agreements with Tesla and Carbon Solutions Group EV LLC to install the chargers.

Having successfully installed and operated 46 public Level-2 EV chargers over the past ten years, the City continues to expand EV charging access. The City is currently developing additional public charger installations and has already secured over $3.5 million in grant funding for new installations throughout the City.

By reducing barriers to EV adoption, this project directly supports the City of Santa Barbara's and the Sustainability & Resilience Department's goal to be carbon neutral by 2035 by reducing transportation-related emissions.

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EV Charging Locations

Downtown Parking Lot Map

City Lot 6
(Granada Garage, 1221 Anacapa St.) 8' 2" max vehicle height
4 Stations (ground level)
30 stations (rooftop level)

City Lot 7
(Library Garage, 1115 Anacapa St.) 8' 2" max vehicle height
2 Stations (ground level)

Helena Lot
(217 Helena Ave) - 3 Stations

City Lot 10
(Ortega Lot, 641 Anacapa St.) 7' max vehicle height

City Lot 11
(Old Town Lot, 523 Anacapa St.) - 3 Stations

Harbor Main Lot - Los Baños Pool (125 Harbor Way) - 2 Stations. Harbor EV charging stations are managed by the Waterfront Department and are accessible through the lot towards the boat launch ramp area.

EV Charging Rate

The City’s 40+ public Level-2 Charge Point EV chargers are now being supported by a new partner, DirtRoad. Your current ChargePoint RFID card and phone app will still work, and the chargers will function the same, but they may look a bit different. Additionally, the chargers, and thus your cars, are now being supplied with 100% carbon-free energy from Santa Barbara Clean Energy, SBCE.

Charging rates have been updated for the first time in several years to reflect increased electricity rates and time-of-use time periods. Due to increased demand, an idle fee has been added to encourage customers to move vehicles after their vehicle is charged*, increasing the availability of chargers.

*Existing Granada Garage EV Parking Permit holders exempted.

Rates updated for Winter 2024-2025

DCFC Chargers
Season	Time of Day	TOU period	Times	Charging Fees	Idle Time	Idle Fee
Winter 2024 -2025	Early Morning	Mid-Peak	12pm-8am	$.43/kWh	20 minutes	$.25/ minute
	Mid-Day	Off-Peak	8am-4pm	$.41/kWh
	Evenings	On-Peak	4pm-9pm	$.75/kWh
	Night-time	Mid-Peak	9m-8pm	$.43/kWh

Level 2 Chargers
Season	Time of Day	TOU period	Times	Charging Fees	Idle Time	Idle Fee
Winter 2024- 2025	Early Morning	Mid-Peak	9m-8am	$.43/kWh	30 minutes	$.25/ minute
	Mid-Day	Off-Peak	8am-4pm	$.41/kWh
	Evenings	On-Peak	4pm-9pm	$.75/kWh
	Night-time	Mid-Peak	9m-8am	$.43/kWh

Ortega Garage EV Chargers

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