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Building EV infrastructure in San Francisco means operating in one of the densest, most expensive, and heavily regulated markets on earth. Installing a charger here is a relentless battle against geography, bureaucracy and grid capacity.
The local math is brutal. The San Francisco EV Readiness Ordinance demands 100% EV capability for new commercial and multifamily buildings. Meanwhile, trenching through the city's concrete can cost upward of $1,000 per linear foot, and the Department of Building Inspection (DBI) scrutinizes every single conduit run.
Then there is Pacific Gas and Electric (PG&E). While their EV Fleet program offers lucrative rebates – up to $42,000 per DC Fast Charger – grid interconnection delays and transformer shortages can stall your project for months, if not years.
You can’t rely on standard supply chains to survive the Bay Area. You need distributors who understand automatic load management systems (ALMS) to avoid million-dollar transformer upgrades, stock space-saving ceiling-mounted hardware for cramped garages, and know exactly what PG&E requires for "Behind-The-Meter" compliance.
Below, we break down the top 9 distributors commanding the Northern California market in 2026.
Why they made the list: For decades, Independent Electric Supply (IES) was the undisputed heavyweight in Northern California. Following a massive reorganization by parent company Sonepar, IES’s California operations have officially merged into the OneSource Distributors brand. This consolidation created an absolute supply chain titan that spans the entire state. Backed by Sonepar’s deep pockets, they operate a dedicated EV and renewable energy division that deeply understands complex PG&E service territories. They have the sheer inventory volume required to simultaneously supply high-rise condo retrofits in SoMa and sprawling tech campuses down the peninsula.
Did you know? IES started in 1976 as a single 10,000-square-foot location in San Carlos. To accelerate growth and streamline logistics, Sonepar merged them into OneSource in late 2023, creating a unified, best-in-class distribution network across the West Coast.
Why they made the list: Buckles-Smith is the undisputed leader of industrial and automation supply in the Bay Area. Acquired by Rexel in 2023, it has deep ties to Rockwell Automation and heavy switchgear manufacturers, making them invaluable for designing advanced load-sharing systems.
Did you know? In 1939, two Westinghouse salesmen (Bob Buckles and Gene Smith) founded the company in a two-story wooden building in San Jose. Today, it stands as the oldest independent distributor in Northern California.
Why they made the list: Platt is an institution on the West Coast. While they are now backed by the massive Rexel group, they operate with a localized, contractor-first mentality. They have heavily invested in "Green Tech" and EV supply chains, making them a top-tier choice for commercial developers looking to integrate solar canopies with EV charging hubs.
Did you know? Founded in 1953 by Isadore and Morrie Platt, the company processed its very first orders across desks made of orange crates, delivering electrical supplies to customers in an old Ford truck.
Why they made the list: CED operates with intense local autonomy. Their San Francisco branch understands the brutal realities of downtown logistics – like delivering heavy electrical equipment to a site with zero staging area and hyper-strict noise ordinances. They empower branch managers to stock what local contractors actually need to pass DBI inspections.
Did you know? Despite being one of the largest electrical distributors in America, CED functions almost like a franchise. Each branch manager is effectively the "CEO" of their location, allowed to bypass corporate bureaucracy to make deals happen on the spot.
Why they made the list: Wesco works hand-in-glove with utility modernization efforts. If you are utilizing PG&E’s EV Fleet program – which separates "To-The-Meter" utility assets from "Behind-The-Meter" customer assets – Wesco is the distributor that can seamlessly supply the heavy, high-voltage gear required for both sides of the line.
Did you know? Wesco was originally founded in 1922 as the distribution arm of the legendary Westinghouse Electric. In 1940, they supplied the pioneering lighting systems for the very first US "Superhighway" tunnels on the Pennsylvania Turnpike.
Why they made the list: Graybar dominates government and public works contracts. If you are bidding on a municipal parking structure in Berkeley or electrifying a state agency facility, Graybar has the cooperative contracts already in place. They also excel at supplying the robust networking gear required for high-uptime networked stations.
Did you know? Graybar’s roots trace back to 1869 when inventor Elisha Gray (who famously raced Alexander Graham Bell to patent the telephone) and entrepreneur Enos Barton founded a telegraph equipment company.
Why they made the list: Serving the heavy industrial and logistics corridors of the East Bay, Rexel is a global supply chain expert. They are the backbone supplier for warehouse forklift and delivery van electrification projects popping up along the I-880 corridor.
Did you know? Rexel is a French multinational that aggressively expanded its US footprint in 2006 by acquiring GE Supply, transforming it into the massive Gexpro banner we see in the industrial space today.
Why they made the list: A strong, established independent distributor serving the East Bay. AED is famous for its customer service and its ability to source the "hard-to-find" obsolete breakers often required when retrofitting older Bay Area buildings that haven't had a panel upgrade since the 1970s.
Why they made the list: EverCharge blurs the line between manufacturer, distributor, and installer. They are a vertically integrated OEM famous for solving the Bay Area's biggest bottleneck: space and power capacity. Their patented SmartPower™ technology is an advanced automatic load management system (ALMS) that dynamically allocates power based on vehicle demand.
Instead of paying PG&E for a massive transformer upgrade, EverCharge’s tech allows developers to install up to 10x more chargers on a building's existing electrical infrastructure.
Did you know? EverCharge was acquired by SK Group, a $150-billion global conglomerate and one of the world’s leading EV battery providers, giving them a massive cross-industry ecosystem from battery manufacturing to grid-level charging.
An installer in the Bay Area must navigate historical building codes, severe seismic bracing requirements, and legendary PG&E interconnection queues. Here are the elite contractors who actually get the concrete poured and the power turned on without failing a DBI inspection.
Based in San Jose, CEI is one of the largest electrical contractors in the nation. If a FAANG company is building a new headquarters and needs 500 Level 2 chargers integrated with a microgrid, CEI is the prime contractor.
With over 60 years in the city, McMillan dominates the commercial high-rise and tenant improvement space in downtown San Francisco. They know the buildings, they know the inspectors, and they know the SF Environment codes.
Serving the entire Bay Area, this licensed contractor focuses exclusively on EV infrastructure. They are masters of the complex HOA and multifamily condo retrofit space, handling the design, trenching, permitting, and commissioning in-house.
Headquartered in San Jose, Rosendin is an employee-owned titan. They handle the massive infrastructure projects – from airport electrification to transit authority fast-charging hubs.
A massive design-build contractor in the South Bay, Sprig excels at integrating EV charging with rooftop solar and commercial battery storage systems for tech campuses.
ABM is a heavyweight facility management company that has pivoted aggressively into the eMobility space. They provide true end-to-end solutions: they source the right-sized chargers, perform the turnkey construction, and operate their own proprietary "EV OS" software to monitor uptime and manage peak energy costs.
Serving the city for over 30 years, Wells Electrical is the local contractor you call when the job requires navigating historical San Francisco architecture and strict HOA boards. They don't just pull wire; they perform the crucial load calculations required to convince an HOA board that the building's 40-year-old electrical panels won't catch fire. As a Qmerit Certified Partner, they are heavily vetted experts in residential and limited-space urban installations.
When trenching goes wrong or a previous contractor applies a temporary patch to a failing panel, TD West has the engineering chops to identify the root cause and execute a permanent, code-compliant fix.
Elex Solutions doesn't view an EV charger as a standalone appliance; they treat it as one piece of a localized microgrid. They are premier Bay Area electrical contractors who specialize in pairing EV infrastructure with battery energy storage systems (BESS) and rooftop solar.
San Francisco garages are incredibly tight, and trenching through concrete is cost-prohibitive.
If you’re operating a commercial fleet, PG&E has massive capital available.
The city is ruthless about future-proofing.
San Francisco is not a market for amateurs. Between the aggressive EV Readiness ordinances, the spatial nightmare of downtown parking garages, and the legendary PG&E interconnection queues, a successful EV rollout requires flawless execution.
Don't let a failed DBI inspection or a missing PG&E application kill your ROI. Source your hardware from distributors who understand ALMS and NEMA 4X ratings, and rely on installers who treat compliance as a core competency, not an afterthought.
Arm your contractors with FieldEx’s digital installation and pre-inspection checklists to ensure every conduit run is compliant, every ALMS setting is documented, and your site meets SF Environment codes before the city inspector even arrives.
Book a free demo today, or simply get in touch. We're here to help you keep Northern California charged.
The San Francisco EV Readiness Ordinance is a local building code requiring all new commercial and multifamily buildings (and major alterations) to have 100% EV Capable parking spaces, ensuring the electrical capacity exists to support future charging.
The PG&E EV Fleet program is a $236-million initiative designed to help commercial fleets electrify by providing heavily subsidized "To-The-Meter" infrastructure and lucrative rebates (up to $42k) for purchasing DC Fast Chargers.
Because upgrading a utility transformer in SF is incredibly expensive and can take PG&E 18+ months to execute. ALMS (Automatic Load Management Systems) shares limited electrical capacity across multiple chargers, avoiding the need for an expensive upgrade.
Through their "EV Charge SF" program, they offer up to $100,000 in incentives for commercial and multifamily properties that install EV infrastructure exceeding the city's baseline code requirements.
Yes. While SF has its own stringent Environment Code, CALGreen serves as the statewide baseline. Whichever code is stricter for your specific project type is the one the SF DBI will enforce.
If the charger is installed outdoors in neighborhoods exposed to the Pacific marine layer (like the Sunset or Richmond districts), NEMA 4X (corrosion-resistant) is highly recommended to prevent premature rusting.
Yes. Like LA, the Bay Area is experiencing high rates of cable theft. Developers should specify retractable cable management systems or utilize heavy-duty security enclosures for public-facing chargers.
Depending on grid constraints in your specific neighborhood, securing a new heavy-duty service connection from PG&E can take anywhere from 6 to 18+ months. Early utility engagement is critical.
No. California Civil Code 4745 (Right to Charge) prohibits HOAs from unreasonably denying an owner's request to install a charger in their dedicated parking space, though you are responsible for the installation and metering costs.
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