Santa Barbara opens four 400 kW DC fast chargers at Eastside Library with over 500,000 dollars in state funding
By Eve
The City of Santa Barbara has completed a public EV charging project at Eastside Library featuring four 400 kilowatt DC fast chargers, described as among the fastest on California's Central Coast. The installation received more than 500,000 dollars from the California Energy Commission, California Transportation Commission and Senate Bill 1 Road Repair funding, with power supplied by 100 percent carbon free electricity through Santa Barbara Clean Energy. A ribbon cutting ceremony was held on 26 August at the Montecito Street site.
Why it matters: The project demonstrates how state grant programmes can fund high power public charging infrastructure, with combined California Energy Commission and transportation funds exceeding half a million dollars for a single four bay installation. For CPOs and contractors, the 400 kW specification and multi agency funding model offer a template for fast charging rollouts in mid sized California municipalities.