Increase access to EVs

Description: Electric vehicle (EV) carshare programs for underserved communities provide emissions free vehicles to drivers who might not otherwise have access to an EV, granting greater independence to individuals without personal vehicles by supplementing public transportation options such as buses, light rail, and subways. These programs directly address community challenges concerning air pollution, limited mobility options, and high vehicle ownership costs in relation to income levels.

EV carshare pilot projects–often funded by grants from air pollution agencies, utility providers, and state or federal governments–have demonstrated the benefits and viability of long term EV carshare programs. Operational funding after completion of pilot studies has frequently been provided by grants from government agencies, non-profits, community groups, or self-funded modes of operation such as co-ops.

Several examples of EV carshare programs include the following:

GoForth
GoForth is an EV carsharing program founded by Forth Mobility, which is dedicated to reducing vehicle pollution and making clean transportation more accessible to rural and low-income communities. Forth was formed in 2011, originally called “Drive Oregon.” The GoForth program was initiated in 2021, when Forth signed contracts with utilities providers and host sites for carshare vehicles. The next year, the program was open to the public, starting in Oregon with two vehicles. Currently GoForth provides affordable EV carsharing in multiple locations in Oregon, Idaho, Washington and New Mexico.

GoForth offers “a low hourly fee, providing affordable, personal, on-demand transportation” for underserved communities. The program offers free test drives for affordable housing residents, and charges $4-5 an hour for rentals. GoForth Electric CarShare is a collaborative partnership between Forth, Mobility Development, and community-owned utilities across Oregon and Washington State. Other supporters include: American Public Power Association, Ashland Electric, Bonneville Environmental Foundation, Central Electric Coop, City of Albuquerque, Clatskanie PUD, Consumers Power, Inc., Cowlitz PUD, Eugene Water & Electric Board, Emerald PUD, Midstate Electric Coop, Northern Wasco County PUD, PNM, Pacific Power, U.S. Department of Energy, Washington Gorge Action Program, and Washington State Department of Transportation.

Miocar
Miocar is a nonprofit round-trip EV carsharing service that has been operating in California since mid-2019, initially funded through a low carbon transportation grant through the California Climate Investments portfolio of Greenhouse Gas Reduction Fund (GGRF) programs. Much like GoForth, Miocar is designed to provide an affordable transportation option within environmentally disadvantaged and low-income communities that are often rural or underserved by public transit.

ZEV Co-op
ZEV co-op is a non-profit consumer cooperative offering EV carshare to members in the Puget Sound area of Washington and in the city of Spokane. ZEV is a member-owned, community-focused, democratically-controlled carshare enterprise that utilizes zero-emission vehicles (ZEVs) for its operation. The co-op emphasizes transportation equity and serving communities that might otherwise have limited transportation options. While anyone with a legitimate driver’s license can access the co-op’s electric vehicles, member-owners democratically control the priorities and direction of the co-op and enjoy unique benefits such as reduced rates, use dividends, and special promotions.

Colorado Carshare
Colorado CarShare is a local 501(c)(3) nonprofit car sharing organization serving the Denver & Boulder County metro area. Colorado Carshare started as Boulder Carshare, renting its first vehicle in 2001. In 2009 it received its first significant outside funding from a Congestion Mitigation and Air Quality (CMAQ) grant to aid in its expansion to core Denver neighborhoods. Several rate plans are available to approved applicants, including reduced rate plans for qualified residents of an affordable housing program such as Denver Housing Authority or Boulder Housing Partners. While Colorado Carshare started operation with the rental of fossil fuel powered vehicles, by 2021 it reported that 25 percent of its fleet was comprised of either EVs or plug-in hybrid vehicles (PHEVs), and that it planned to increase share of EVs or PHEVs as soon as possible.

Evie Carsharing Program
Evie Carshare is a 100% renewably-powered, municipally-owned all-electric carshare program serving the Twin Cities area of Minnesota. The Evie program is designed to improve mobility options for member households while reducing carbon emissions and other air pollution. There are a variety of Evie membership plans, including the Access Plus plan that is available for area residents who self-identify as low income. The program was created in consultation with the communities being served, including direct partnership with 10 community-based organizations as well as focus groups of residents of the areas being served.

The Evie Carshare program supports the City of Saint Paul’s Climate Action and Resilience Plan by reducing the vehicle miles traveled (VMT) of fossil fuel powered vehicles and avoiding additional emissions by supporting the EVs with charging stations powered entirely by renewable energy.

DRIVE Carshare
The DRIVE program, offered by New York’s Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA), is a membership-based carsharing service providing 24/7 access to all-electric vehicles on an hourly basis. The program, designed with rental rates of $5 per hour, aims to expand community options for different modes of transportation and mobility while reducing harmful emissions.

Our Community CarShare Sacramento (OCCS)
OCCS is a cost-sharing EV carshare program partnered with Zipcar, located in various communities throughout Sacramento, California. It is a pilot program of the Sacramento Metropolitan Air Quality Management District. The program is funded by California Climate Investments, a statewide program that puts cap and trade dollars to work reducing greenhouse gas emissions, strengthening the economy and improving public health and the environment–particularly in disadvantaged communities. OCCS is operated by Zipcar with the goal of increasing access to zero emission vehicles and enhancing clean mobility options.

Carolina Carshare
Carolina Carshare is a community-based EV carshare program operating in the greater Charlotte, North Carolina area. The program is funded by the U.S. Department of Energy, and is a partnership between Forth, Mobility Development, and the City of Charlotte. Carolina Carshare provides affordable and clean transportation with a focus on historically disinvested communities in need of more transportation options.

BlueLA Carsharing Service
The BlueLA program formed as a collaborative pilot project of the Los Angeles Mayor’s Office, the Los Angeles Department of Transportation (LADOT), the Los Angeles Department of Water and Power, and the California Air Resources Board. The pilot project, which ran from 2015 (operation began in 2018) to 2025, included construction and installation of 100 carshare stations with 500 charge points, and the operation of an electric vehicle carshare program with 300 electric vehicles in disadvantaged communities within the City of Los Angeles.

The BlueLA pilot program ended in April 2025 after the city’s contract with Blink Mobility, the operator of the BlueLA program, expired amid the city’s $1-billion budget shortfall. Blink Mobility continues to offer commercial carshare from its Culver City, CA hub.

The termination of the BlueLA pilot occurred despite results from a 2023 study by researchers at UCLA and University of Texas confirming that BlueLA service was of value to its users, providing improved access to personal-use vehicles and allowing trips that were otherwise difficult to complete using only public transit, walking or bicycling. The program secured over 4,250 members during its operational period, 55% of which were low-income residents. Users took over 565,000 trips over the course of the program, totaling to approximately 18.4 million miles traveled. According to the California Air Resources Board, the estimated quantifiable benefits during the pilot project included:

• GHG emission reductions: 5,102 Metric tons of carbon dioxide equivalent (MTCO2e)
• Nitrogen oxides (NOx) reductions: 1,837 lbs
• Passenger VMT reductions: 7,517,650 miles
• Travel cost savings: $1,687,520
• Fossil fuel-based transportation fuel use reductions: 496,131 gallons

The quantifiable success of the BlueLA program and others like it demonstrate that EV carshare programs can be highly effective tools in addressing longstanding inequities in transportation access, while at the same time reducing air pollutant emissions in vulnerable and underserved communities. Pilot studies have helped identify best practices for initiating, administering, and funding long-term EV carshare programs, making them viable choices for local governments working to advance climate action plans and address community inequities.

Goal: Provide access to EVs for low-income households and reduce transportation sector emissions