Meet Evie
Evie Carshare, part of the EV Spot Network, is here to make the air cleaner, the community closer, and the future even brighter. Evie provides one-way all-electric trips by the minute, hour, or day to get you around MSP in a whole new way. Over the coming days, we will be bringing Evie to the streets of Saint Paul and Minneapolis as part of our soft launch to the network. If you see an available Evie, hop in and take a spin!
The EV Spot Network is built by the Twin Cities for the Twin Cities. It includes an on-street electric vehicle charging network, called EV Spot Charging, and on-street shared electric vehicles, called Evie Carshare. EV Spot Charging is 100% renewably powered and enables charging for personally owned and Evie Carshare vehicles within Saint Paul and Minneapolis neighborhoods.
The City of Saint Paul, in partnership with the City of Minneapolis, Xcel Energy, HOURCAR, and others, is rolling out EV Spot Charging starting this week and continuing through 2022 to support increased access to and the use of electric vehicles. Learn more here.
Take a Spin on Us. Seriously.
We know many of our members have never driven an electric car or taken a one-way trip, and we understand there may be some first-time jitters. That’s why we’re giving all members $15 Drive Credit – all you have to do is claim it.
Here’s how:
Copy the code “DriveEvie15”, paste it here, and click “Redeem”. Else copy the code and past it in your HOURCAR App > Menu > Credits. BAM – now you have $15 Drive Credit towards your trip. It’s automatically applied to all trips taken with Evie or HOURCAR and expires within the next 60 days. So get out there and take a trip!
Not a member?
Let’s fix that. Join for only $1 and get $25 Drive Credit towards your first trips with code “DriveEvie0125”. Drive Credit is automatically applied to trip costs on Evie and HOURCAR and cannot be used for fees or taxes.
Drive by App or GoTo Card
With Evie, the HOURCAR app and/or GoTo card are your key. Start, pause, and end your trips all in the HOURCAR app or with your GoTo card. Get the HOURCAR app here and request/register a GoTo card here. Your HOURCAR membership plan has no additional monthly membership plan fees for Evie, so if you’re on the Everyday Plan, you’ll be charged $7 once a month and have access to both Evie and HOURCAR. However, rates between the two services are different, so compare the rates here.
We will continue to work hard to bring transformational transportation options to Minnesota and we greatly appreciate your support during this journey. If you have any questions, comments, kudos, or general Minnesotan comments about the weather, reach out to us and let us know. Thanks for a great 2021 and here’s to 2022!
Frequently Asked Questions:
Your current HOURCAR membership plan is paired directly with an Evie membership plan. With Evie, you’re automatically included in both HOURCAR and Evie services for one low monthly membership fee (we call that #winning.) So, if you’re on the HOURCAR Everyday Plan, you’re also on the Evie Everyday Plan. Compare your minute, hourly, or daily rates here. Remember that if you take two or more trips per month, it’s cheaper to be on a paid plan than Try It, so upgrade to a different plan before you begin your trip.
Start, pause, and end your trips with the HOURCAR app or with your Metro Transit GoTo Card. Your phone and GoTo card are your keys, so keep them close. If you have already requested or registered your GoTo card for HOURCAR, it’ll work with Evie. Please don’t request additional cards, only one can relate to your account as both services share the same backend system. Learn more and dive into specifics here.
Right now, the HOURCAR team will be charging Evie while EV Spots are being installed and activated. If an Evie is low on a charge, it will go out of service and our team will come and charge it up. Once the entire network is installed and active, members will automatically get a $4 Drive Credit when they end their trip at an EV Spot with the car plugged in and charging. EV Spots and off-street dedicated Evie Parking will be available in future app updates and as they become active. Thanks for your patience while we work on this development.
We highly recommend HOURCAR for longer trips and Evie for quick trips around town. If you take an Evie for a longer trip, you can locate the EV Spot Charging Card and other network charging cards in the glove box. Just remember if a card isn’t properly returned, either in the card slot or via pin, you won’t be able to end your trip. The cost of charging the car is included in your normal trip fees, it’s never your responsibility to pay even if you’re on a trip out of town. If you are outside of the Evie Home Area and need to know where to charge, get the PlugShare App.
Right now, the Evie Carshare app is under development. All trips can begin, pause, and end in the current HOURCAR app. Once the Evie Carshare app is ready, it will replace the HOURCAR app with new and additional features and enhancements.
The quick and easy answer is any City of St Paul or Minneapolis on-street stall within the Evie Home Area valid 2 hours or longer, including meters or permit-required areas and any green EV Spot or dedicated off-street Evie Parking Only location. Each city has slightly different on-street parking rules, especially in metered areas, so learn more here.
Non-city designated spaces, such as Parks & Rec or private property, like retail shops and Target runs, are not included. If you are parking in these areas, you must begin a Stopover (pause your trip).
Uffdah. In August 2021, Chevrolet extended its recall notice to include all Chevrolet Bolt EVs and EUVs. Out of an extreme abundance of caution and member safety, we paused our pilot while we worked closely with the City of Saint Paul and General Motors to remedy the situation. Today, all of our Chevrolet Bolts available for trips fully comply with the recall requirements placed in effect by GM and the NHTSA. Every Bolt has a QR code located on the window allowing for you to verify that the car has been updated to meet recall requirements. Learn more here and here.
