HOURCAR is excited to share we are accepting pre-approval applications until July 30th for first tranche Multifamily EV Carshare Pilot site hosts with a priority deadline of June 30th!
Project Details
Funded by the US Department of Energy and significantly underwritten by Xcel Energy and HOURCAR, the Multifamily EV Carshare Pilot Project will create environmentally friendly, affordable, and accessible mobility options for residents of apartments, condominiums, and their communities in the Twin Cities Metro Area. Working with Xcel Energy, HOURCAR will place 50 charging stations and shared electric vehicles at 25 multifamily sites over the next two years. Through a focus on affordable housing, this project will increase EV mobility options for residents at income levels that have traditionally been underserved by electrification and decrease barriers for EV charging in an income-qualified multifamily context.
“One of the things that has differentiated HOURCAR throughout our history is that we have had a focus on providing transportation solutions for as diverse an audience as possible; to provide transportation options for [those] who cannot afford a car or choose not to own one.”
– Paul Schroeder, HOURCAR CEO
Pre-Approval Application and Timeline
Over the course of July and August HOURCAR and project partners will select five site hosts — owners, developers, or managers of residential real estate — to host on-site electric vehicle carsharing and optional charging services offered to residents at one or more of their properties. We anticipate construction and on-site installation of charging equipment to occur at all selected first tranche sites in the Fall of 2021, with EV charging capacity and carsharing operational by early 2022.
Income-restricted, mixed-income, and market-rate sites are all eligible to apply in this round. We will, however, prioritize applicants whose overall site meets the Minnesota Department of Commerce Conservation Improvement Programs (CIP) definition of Qualified Low-Income where at least 66% of residential units are affordable at 60% Area Median Income (AMI) or below.
This pre-approval application allows each applicant to submit up to five proposed sites for consideration. Proposed sites may consist of a property or a group of properties within walking distance to one another. Properties can be made up of one or multiple buildings. Existing properties and developments under construction will be considered if they are scheduled to be open by December 31st, 2021. Applicants may apply here anytime between May 17th and July 30th, 2021. The priority deadline is June 30th, 2021 and will begin the pre-approval selection process on that date. We will notify selected sites on a rolling basis throughout July and August.
Filling out the pre-approval application is the first step to become a site host for the project. Pre-approved site hosts will be invited to participate in a preliminary assessment with Xcel Energy and two resident engagement sessions with HOURCAR. Final approval will be contingent on the completion of these two additional steps. If one or more of your sites are not selected to move forward in the approval process for this application round, we will consider your site(s) for subsequent rounds.
Applications and project information can be found at https://hourcar.org/multifamily. You also may wish to review our pre-approval application guidelines here.
What if I’m not a property owner, developer, or manager of residential real estate?
If you are a city or governmental agency in the Twin Cities metro, we’d love for you to pass this along to properties in your area who may be interested in becoming a site host for the project. If you’re part of an organization working on mobility or emissions-free transportation, we’d love for you to pass the word on as well. Additionally, we believe the best projects are the ones that leave the doors open for partnership, feedback, and collaboration. If we have not yet connected and you would like to, feel free to reach out to multifamily@hourcar.org.
This project is still in its development phase. We encourage you to learn more at Hourcar.org/multifamily
Webinar of the Multifamily Carshare Pilot Project: here