The City of Oakland, Calif., is joining municipalities across the country in acquiring emissions-free electric vehicle (EV) charging and emergency power with help from San Diego-based Envision Solar.

The city's recent purchase of three EV ARC charging stations is part of its continuing efforts to reduce its carbon footprint and provide clean, reliable power.

Oakland joins the California cities of Santa Monica and Maywood, and the counties of Fresno and Marin in using Envision's charging stations. Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, a federal research facility in Northern California, also recently added two EV ARC charging stations as part of its transition to using zero-emission vehicles.

In June, New York City ordered thirty-two EV ARC units, valued at $2.14 million — Envision's largest order.

The EV ARC is a transportable, solar-powered charging station that can deliver up to 225 e-miles daily while charging up to six EVs at a time.

Currently, the City of Oakland has 26 EVs in its fleet, with plans to increase that number in the coming years. Additionally, 43% of the city’s annual 700,000 gallons of fuel consumed is low carbon or renewable alternative fuel.

“Deploying solar powered EV chargers which are made in California and require no construction or disruption and provide emergency power without ever generating a utility bill for our taxpayers is a win win for the city and everyone who lives here,” Richard Battersby, Oakland’s manager of Equipment Services Division, said.

Oakland officials intend to use solar as the cleanest fuel available for the city’s green fleet and as a potential source of backup power in the event of a power outage or lost access to other fuels.