Will your new car be electric? San Francisco's Department of the Environment wants you to say 'yes'

SAN FRANCISCO (KGO) -- In five years, San Francisco's Department of the Environment wants 50% of new car purchases to be electric.

Currently, it sits at 12%, well below San Jose's 20%.

"We have big goals, San Francisco never shies away from big goals. We are committed to making sure we get there," said Director for SF Environment, Debbie Raphael.

SF Environment is waiting on a grant to build 2,000 new charging ports in the city and working towards 8,000 more by 2023. Right now, there are 800.

At a parking lot in Fort Mason with charging stations, we spoke to drivers who want to make the switch, but can't right now.

"I'm on the fence. If they had power to it, I'd definitely switch over," said Michelle Pfeifer.

RELATED: San Jose aims to double EV charging stations

"The number one thing is finances. I believe that many of the cars off the lot is more than $30,000," said Shamar Muhammad who is a Lyft and Uber driver. He says he'd love to make his next car electric, but he can't afford it right now.

Supervisor Gordon Mar says he is on board, but on a scale of 1 to 10, he says the political will to get the job done is still on the low end.

"How does it fit in with the seemingly more pressing priorities like homelessness and the housing crisis," said Mar.

Tom Kramer is on his second Leaf with no plans to go back. His big sell - do it if you can.

"I've driven 100,000 miles on electric cars and I've never fixed anything, but I can afford the 50 per cent it takes for me to operate and so I do because it's better for the world," he said.

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