HOURCAR, Operator of Evie Carshare, Reaches Over 5,000 Approved Members for the First Time Ever
HOURCAR, the operator of Evie Carshare, has achieved over 5,000 approved members for use of hub-based and free-floating carshare services under its operations.
“We’re thrilled to cross this milestone in HOURCAR history,” said Paul Schroeder, HOURCAR’s President & CEO. “It’s really the dawn of a new era in our mission to connect people to their communities. More and more Twin Cities residents are seeing the value in these affordable and sustainable shared transportation solutions.”
HOURCAR currently operates nearly 50 hub-based vehicles in addition to over 120 free-floating all-electric vehicles in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. By the end of 2023, HOURCAR plans to operate over 275 vehicles under both the hub-based and free-floating services.
Developed in partnership with the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis, Xcel Energy, East Metro Strong, and the American Lung Association, the EV Spot Network is bringing electric vehicle access to communities traditionally underserved by new technologies.
The EV Spot Network, which officially launched on May 13, 2022, was designed with a focus on service to low-income and Black, Indigenous, and People of Color (BIPOC) communities. 90% of the service area falls in communities designated by the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency as “Areas of Concern for Environmental Justice,” meaning that either 40% or more of households are low income, or 50% or more of residents are people of color, or both. The Network is comprised of two arms: EV Spot Charging, which will bring 70 on-street, renewably-powered electric vehicle charging locations throughout communities in Saint Paul and Minneapolis, and Evie Carshare, a network of 170 all-electric, free-floating carshare vehicles within a 35 square mile Home Area.
In September 2022, HOURCAR launched its Multifamily EV Carshare Project, in partnership with Xcel Energy and the American Lung Association. The goal of the Multifamily Project is to bring 50 electric HOURCAR vehicles to multifamily buildings in Saint Paul, Minneapolis, and the Metropolitan Region, with a focus on qualified low-income sites. Currently, the Multifamily Project is operating all-electric, hub-based vehicles in the Como Neighborhood of Minneapolis, and Little Canada, soon including Bloomington, North East Park of Minneapolis, Richfield, and Saint Louis Park.
“The Multifamily Project is an exciting new twist on hub-based carshare as it continues to increase access to electric vehicles in ways never done before. By the end of 2023, we aim to have 25 locations and 50 electric vehicles to locations never before served by carshare services or without electric vehicle access” states Anna Crouch, HOURCAR Multifamily Project Manager
HOURCAR projects to increase its membership to over 8,000 approved members by the end of 2023. By mid 2023, HOURCAR plans to add nearly 50 vehicles to the Evie Carshare service while working with local developers and apartment owners to expand the Multifamily Project by over 35 more vehicles.