HOURCAR Multifamily: Equitable Electric Mobility
HOURCAR is a nonprofit carshare organization making big transportation changes in the Twin Cities.
In 2022, HOURCAR is expanding its round-trip carshare service through the Multifamily Electric Vehicle Carshare Pilot Project. Leveraging funding from the U.S. Department of Energy and partnerships with Xcel Energy, the American Lung Association, and East Metro Strong, the pilot will add a total of 50 all-electric vehicles, essentially doubling the HOURCAR fleet. To do this, HOURCAR is placing new hubs with electric chargers at multifamily complexes around the Twin Cities metropolitan area, with a focus at affordable housing sites. The project aims to increase electric mobility options for residents at income levels that have been traditionally underserved while also decreasing barriers to building out electric vehicle charging stations at multifamily dwellings.
This is the first project of its kind in the State of Minnesota and one of the first of its size in North America, including 25 total properties with 50 shared electric vehicles.
Site Host Details
Are you interested in providing two EVs in a carsharing program as an amenity to your building and community residents? Check out the information below to see if your property would be a good fit:
We are seeking site hosts—owners, developers, or managers of residential real estate—interested in offering electric vehicle carsharing to residents at one or more of their properties at very low cost.
Each selected site will host:
- A round-trip* EV carsharing service operated by HOURCAR for use by residents and the surrounding community. Site hosts will be required to commit a minimum of two parking spaces for a period of 18 months for the use by HOURCAR to host and operate the carsharing service.
- A minimum of one dual port Level 2 EV charger for use by the dedicated carsharing vehicles. Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE) and make ready infrastructure will be installed on-site by Xcel Energy through its Multi-Dwelling Unit Electric Vehicle Service Pilot. The site host will be required to commit to keeping this infrastructure available for charging on-site for a period of 10 years. Additional ports may be requested for use by residents with EVs.
Sites must be readily available for installation of EVSE and operation of the carsharing service. This means:
- Designated on-site parking spots are close together and near an electrical room or other space where EV Supply Infrastructure equipment could be housed
- The more capacity in the existing transformer the better
- The less restoration including asphalt and concrete demolition required the better
- If a line extension/upgrade is needed, outdoor space for the equipment is required.
*Round-trip carshare means each carshare EV will be ‘tethered’ to the property. Members pick up the reserved HOURCAR from the dedicated carshare space and MUST return it to at the end of the reservation to the same space.
Selection criteria have been designed to help the project meet its dual goals of:
- Increasing Electric Vehicle (EV) mobility options for residents at income levels that have traditionally been underserved by electrification. HOURCAR will operate two-way EV carsharing service at multifamily buildings as both a mobility tool and to introduce members electric vehicle ownership possibilities.
- Decreasing barriers that limit the availability of EV charging capacity in a multifamily context. Project partners will provide selected site hosts with education and advisory services to increase utilization of charging equipment and make ready assistance to enable the installation of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE).
While our first round of sites was focused exclusively on affordable housing locations, income-restricted, mixed-income, and market rate sites are all eligible to apply for the second round of site selection. We will, however, still 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.
In addition to building affordability, our selection criteria prioritize sites located proximate to services and existing transit infrastructure in the Twin Cities Metro Area where residents might live with zero or one car. We want the carsharing service to help fill in gaps in the transit network.
We are looking for sites that will complement other services HOURCAR is building out in the Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paul, including the EV Spot Network. We are currently prioritizing sites that are close to or within our Evie Home Area but are not currently served by an HOURCAR hub.
This project has been broken into 2 tranches with different pilot periods and funding levels. However, in both tranches there will be full installation support for all selected qualified low-income sites.
First Tranche
During the Summer of 2021, we selected five sites to participate in the first tranche of the project. We anticipate on-site installation of EVSE to occur in late Spring 2022 with EV charging capacity and carsharing operational by Summer of 2022. This tranche is geared toward qualified affordable sites where at least 66% of residential units are affordable at 60% Area Median Income (AMI) or below. The project pilot period is 24 months from the time of EVSE install at of the sites selected in Tranche 1
Second Tranche
During the Summer of 2022, we will select up to twenty sites to participate in the second tranche of the project. We anticipate on-site installation of EVSE to occur in Winter of 2022 with EV charging capacity and carsharing operational by early Spring of 2023. The Project pilot period is 18 months from the time of EVSE install at of the sites selected
Utility Support
Xcel Energy will provide make ready assistance to enable the installation of Electric Vehicle Supply Equipment (EVSE), including no-cost options for the supply infrastructure at qualified low-income sites through its Multi-Dwelling Unit Electric Vehicle Service Pilot Program. With three tranches, Xcel will offer different amounts of utility support regarding service connection and site supply infrastructure costs.
Qualified low-income site hosts will receive 100% utility support regardless of the tranche in which they are selected. All first tranche site hosts will receive 100% utility support, meaning the cost of installation and the electric vehicle supply infrastructure will be fully covered. Second and third tranche market rate sites may receive less than 100% utility support.
EVSE Support and Additional Charging Capacity
HOURCAR will cover the amortized cost of one dual port charger, intended to charge two HOURCAR carsharing electric vehicles, for eighteen months or the period in which carsharing is operational on the site as agreed to by HOURCAR and the site host, whichever is greater.
Additional dual port chargers for use by residents with electric vehicles can be added if desired by the site host. The cost for the chargers not dedicated to the carsharing program will be charged to site host, amortized over a period of 10 years. There may be additional capital costs depending on the site conditions to install additional chargers. These would be agreed to by Xcel Energy and the site host before beginning construction. The site host will not be responsible for the electric cost of operating the carshare program at any point during the program’s operation.
Carshare Subsidized Period
HOURCAR will fully cover all operational costs for the carsharing service at each site for the site’s Carshare Subsidized Period. Each tranche will have a different carsharing subsidized period:
- First Tranche – 24 months
- Second Tranche – 18 months
After the initial subsidized period, there may be some degree of cost share in this project. HOURCAR estimates that each site will need to bring in about $2500 per month in usage and membership revenue break even. We think this is feasible with about 50 users per car per or about 100 users per site. Sites will only be required to cost share if they wish to extend the carsharing service after the initial subsidized period.
Filling out the pre-approval application is the first step to become a site host for the Multifamily EV Carshare 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.
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 June 31st, 2022.
This application is hosted in Microsoft Forms and will not save if you close the browser. Our recommendation is to download a copy of the pre-approval questions here, gather your information, and copy and paste your responses into the form. HOURCAR staff will be available to assist you with any questions you may have as you work through the application. Please email annac@hourcar.org with any questions.
After your application is submitted, we will contact you to confirm submission. The application has a priority deadline of June 30, 2022 and an extended deadline of December 31, 2022. We will begin the pre-approval selection process starting on June 30 and will invite selected sites on a rolling basis to begin the Xcel and community engagement process. Sites that apply before the priority deadline are guaranteed consideration, but depending on the quantity and quality of responses received, the application process may close early (i.e., after the priority deadline but before the final deadline).
For all inquiries related to the Multifamily EV Carsharing Project, please reach out to:
Anna Crouch
Multifamily Project Manager
multifamily@hourcar.org
Apply to Become a Site Host
The third tranche of the pre-approval process is opening March 31, 2023. You can begin your application now by downloading the application questions beforehand so you’re ready to go on application day.