Ortega Garage EV Chargers
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.
