By Frank Jossi for Energy News Network.
Broadcast version by Mike Moen for Minnesota News Connection reporting for the Solutions Journalism Network-Public News Service Collaboration

A pioneering electric-vehicle car-sharing service in the Twin Cities saw steady growth during the first half of 2022, exceeding the expectations of backers during the program’s first six months following a relaunch.

Evie Community Carshare claimed to be the nation’s first all-electric, renewably powered car-share service when it launched last year. It now has over 100 vehicles serving a 35-square-mile area of Minneapolis and St. Paul chosen for its high concentrations of poverty and pollution.

“It’s been a hit,” said James Vierling, head of growth, marketing and communications for HourCar, which operates Evie. “We’ve been growing a lot faster than we thought we would.” 

The service logged nearly 25,000 trips totaling almost a quarter million miles between February and July, reducing an estimated 741 metric tons of greenhouse gas emissions. It also helped members save an estimated $2.6 million on transportation, including about $850,000 for very low-income households.

“It’s going wonderfully,” said Will Schroeer, executive director of East Metro Strong. “We’re exceeding our projections and we’ve seen new record use each month since our launch. Trips and membership continue to increase every month and that’s what you want to see.”

Erin Kayser, electric vehicle program coordinator for the city of St. Paul, said the Evie program’s ability to enroll lower-income subscribers had surpassed expectations as it pursues a goal of having Black, Indigenous, and people of color constitute half the system’s usage. “The progress since February has been amazing,” she said.

The car-share universe includes a handful of national companies such as Zipcar and a smattering of locally operated programs in Sacramento, Los Angeles and other cities. The Twin Cities has been a leader in the field through HourCar, which has 17 years of car-share program experience.

HourCar developed a public-private partnership to create Evie with the cities of St. Paul and Minneapolis, Xcel Energy, East Metro Strong, and the American Lung Association. The service is a “free-flow” program in which members can pick up and leave cars nearly anywhere within the footprint.

HourCar’s Vierling said the goal in free-flow car-share service is typically three to five trips per car per day. Evie is currently around two trips, he said.

The program is a division of the EV Spot Network, which provides more than 30 sites with on-street chargers in neighborhoods often lacking EV facilities, Kayser said. She said that renters with EVs often have no access to chargers near where they live, especially in marginalized communities, where the EV Spot Network placed several chargers.

The rollout has not been seamless. Evie began last year with dozens of Chevy Bolts that General Motors recalled last October for a battery problem, forcing a pause in the program before a February 2022 restart. In addition, supply chain issues have slowed the delivery of new vehicles to the system.

Evie is entering its first full winter and HourCar anticipates fewer trips due to the weather. The momentum of the first six months needs to continue with social media, word-of-mouth marketing and other outreach to attract more customers.

“It’s a new idea to a lot of folks and the more use we get, the more word of mouth there is that it works great,” Schroeer said.

The origins of Evie

Evie grew out of HourCar, a car-share program the Center for Energy and Environment began in 2005. In 2017, HourCar became a nonprofit organization and two years later added service in the southern Minnesota city of Rochester. 

Unlike Evie vehicles, HourCar vehicles are picked up at a hub and returned to the same one by drivers. Both services cover insurance, roadside assistance and fuel or charges. Together, they have more than 5,000 members who can use either service.

In 2019 and 2020, HourCar met with community groups in 10 BIPOC and low-income neighborhoods to create strategies to reduce barriers to using electric vehicles. HourCar lowered rates by nearly 40% and created a new, lower-rate option for very low-income residents called Access Plus.

Evie offers Twin Cities residents without cars an opportunity to use one whenever needed for proverbial Target runs and other errands. The program’s research shows drivers generally employ the service for shopping, appointment drop-offs and other activities. Evie customers average less than 10 miles.

Jon Hunter, senior director of the American Lung Association Clean Air program in Minnesota, said funding for Evie came from several sources. Evie received a $6.6 million grant from the U.S. Department of Energy’s Clean Cities program, mainly for curbside charging infrastructure. Some money will go to an HourCar initiative to place electric vehicles in low-income, multifamily projects. The Metropolitan Council contributed $4 million to help the program purchase vehicles and several other organizations also assisted with funding.

The lung association has a vested interest in expanding EVs since tailpipe vehicle emissions are a leading source of air pollution, Hunter said. Half the stations are in BIPOC neighborhoods that suffer higher air pollution levels than other areas of both cities, he said.

Vierling said by the end of next year Evie should have 70 charging locations with 280 connectors and 10 DC fast chargers. Evie should reach a goal of having 170 EVs on the streets sometime next year, with new Nissan Leafs being added to the portfolio. More cars will mean less of a commute for Evie members looking to use a vehicle.

Still, Evie only works for low-income residents if they have a good public transportation infrastructure. “Evie free-flow car share is never going to be your 100% replacement for owning a car without having other systems supporting it like Metro Transit, bikes and scooters,” Vierling said. “It takes an entire network to get rid of car ownership.”

Frank Jossi wrote this article for Energy News Network.


get more stories like this via email

City and county governments are feeling the pinch of rising operating costs but in Wisconsin, federal incentives are driving a range of local projects, taking off some of the pressure in making communities economically viable.

Dane County is no stranger to embracing clean energy and federal aid from policies like the Inflation Reduction Act and the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law are spurring more activity.

Joe Parisi, Dane County executive, said there have been past government credits for things like solar installations and the latest approach is more expansive, with a robust list of those who can benefit.

"Everybody -- a business, a nonprofit, a church, a temple, even a government, and a local government -- gets 30% back on renewable energy projects," Parisi pointed out.

For example, a local construction company put solar arrays on several of its facilities. Parisi noted the new credits speed up the pace of reimbursements, creating more energy savings in the near future. Federal officials said demand has been strong for the programs but Parisi said one challenge is creating broader awareness so under-resourced areas can apply.

Locally, the website for the Dane County Office of Energy and Climate Change has posted details about project opportunities and investments. Beyond clean energy, Parisi emphasized the federal government's push for more "Made in America" manufacturing creates opportunities for local plants and regional economies.

"There's money to help retooling to manufacture (products)," Parisi stressed. "Then, there's a stronger market for those components now because they are made in America."

National polling shows Americans are greatly concerned about things like inflation but Parisi argued long-term investments stand to help reduce operating expenses for government agencies and businesses, hopefully keeping local taxes in check and providing savings for consumers.


get more stories like this via email

Two pieces of legislation in Connecticut could bolster public transportation if they make it through the General Assembly.

Senate Bill 277 would restore funding to Shore Line East to increase rail service. Ridership plummeted during the pandemic, though it's been growing modestly since then.

But as more people opt to work from home instead of commute, some question whether there's a need for more rail service.

Jay Stange, coordinator with the Transport Hartford Academy, said state investments can help transit lines attract the riders they need.

"Ridership on the Hartford Line, which has been supported by state investment, is up every year," said Stange. "We also are seeing huge increases on the Waterbury Line in Connecticut, where those service investments have been made. The bottom line is that if you don't have the service, you won't have the riders."

The 2023 budget cut funding for Shore Line East to 44% of what was required for pre-pandemic service.

The bill received wide support at a public hearing, but some residents don't agree that funding cuts cause low ridership.

Stange said restoring this funding would provide economic benefits through growing jobs and tourism.

Another bill incentivizes transit-oriented development.

House Bill 5390 would provide water and sewer funding for land-use planning and other developments, making it easier to build housing where transit and rail services exist.

Stange said it's time for the state to build better.

"Connecticut is starting to see," said Stange. "that the development pattern of the last 70 years - where we build new interstate to green-land development that's mostly single-family homes - is a money-losing proposition, in the long term."

Studies show transit-oriented development reduces air pollution and uses large plots of land to accommodate growing populations.

The bill faced opposition from communities concerned about the need for local control for developing these projects. The new version of the bill allows communities to "opt in" for these incentives instead.




get more stories like this via email

Federal and agency officials convened with stakeholders in Southeastern Utah to discuss how federal funds can help grow and strengthen local economies.

Lenise Peterman, mayor of Helper in Carbon County, said money from major legislation like the Bipartisan Infrastructure Act and the Inflation Reduction Act often bypasses communities like hers, which are often the most in need.

Peterman was part of the "Coal Country at a Crossroads Listening Session," examining the challenges of smaller, rural communities in addressing needs for clean energy, workforce and economic development, and infrastructure.

"I felt very optimistic, because I felt like I was no longer just this region, somewhere tucked away in the intermountain area, but somebody that they had to look at and see, and hear them say, 'I need to get this funding. How do I do this?'" Peterman recounted.

Like many rural towns, Helper has seen a declining coal industry. In 2022, five operators in Utah produced coal worth $504 million, down 15% from the previous year. Peterman pointed out power plants and coal mines have traditionally been the sources of well-paid jobs, but communities like hers are figuring out how to adapt with the times and ensure people can continue to call rural Utah home.

Peterman said she considers the listening session a success, as it brought together federal officials and local leaders to focus on possible solutions. She noted one message was the government may need to do more to ensure communities like Helper, as she put it, "don't fall through the cracks."

"How do we equate a rural community with these more urban areas that have headcount, and have people on staff who can look into these federal funding opportunities and collect them?" Peterman suggested.

She added she works with a team of 15 other individuals but is the sole grant writer for her town. Legislation in Congress, called the "Rebuild Rural America Act," would have allocated money to help smaller communities compete for federal dollars but got stuck in a Senate committee last year.


get more stories like this via email