Evie Community Carshare has aggressive equity targets to achieve within the communities in which we operate. Working together, our goal is to increase access to and the use of electric vehicles.
Our aim is to make transportation in the Twin Cities more equitable and inclusive, guided by these aggressive equity targets.
We aim to address environmental, social, and racial inequities in the transportation system. Within the transportation system, we aim to achieve change by providing electric carshare vehicles and related infrastructure through the following goals by 2026:
Total Use by BIPOC Members
To help achieve this goal, all new members are emailed a census along with their approval notification. From time to time, we also email members who haven’t completed the census for their data.
Data received is held privately and is not shared publically. So if you receive an email to complete, please do so.
Total Use by Very Low-Income Members
Very low-income members are defined by those who self-certify during their application process for meeting the Access PLUS certification requirements. Those who choose the Access PLUS plan but haven’t self-certified are asked to complete a form or are transferred off of the Access PLUS plan.
Total Use by Very-Low BIPOC Members
This data is the combination of the other two goals. HOURCAR, operator of Evie Carshare, compiles data and releases it annually to the cities of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Any/all private information provided in the census is private and is not shared.
In order to achieve our 2026 Goals, which align with the City of Saint Paul and Minneapolis equity targets, our 2021 Census was submitted to 1,986 active members with a timeline from November 3-20, 2021 for completion. Of those submitted, 747 individual responses were recorded.
Evie Carshare reports usage annually in accordance with the agreements with the City of Saint Paul and Minneapolis.
Utilization is based on trip count and overall membership data that is provided during the application phase as well as through our Census. Completion of the Census is completely voluntary, unincentivized, and helps us better understand our utilization goals and equity targets. All information gathered in the Census is compiled for purposes like this report. Individual responses are not published or shared.
There’s a reason why we are doing what we are doing, and where we are doing it. Dive in and learn more:
The EV Spot Network focuses on serving Areas of Environment Concern (formerly referred to as Areas of Concentrated Poverty), defined as census tracts where 40% or more of the residents have family or individual incomes that are less than 185% of the federal poverty threshold. Learn more here and here.
In the Twin Cities, along with many other communities across major US cities, the largest greenhouse emissions come from transportation. Those who live in low-income and BIPOC communities endure the worst air quality, resulting in higher rates of diseases such as COPD, asthma, heart disease and cancer.
The EV Spot Network is here to help address these disparities by providing 100% renewably-powered EV Spot Charging locations across communities in Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The network also includes affordable access to Evie Carshare for community members who have less reliable access to cars; For many people, this is their first experience driving an all-electric vehicle.
Read more from the Minnesota Pollution Control Agency here.
In 2018, the Shared-Use Mobility Center published the Twin Cities Shared Mobility Action Plan, designed around feedback from a host of organizations and transportation leaders, including those focused on transportation in the Twin Cities. Within the plan, it was identified that free-float carshare services were an important element in the movement to increase affordability of living while also helping to reduce car ownership, thus improving air quality and improving residents sustainability footprints.
The EV Spot Network and Evie Carshare are designed around community feedback and engagement initiatives. Industry statistics have proven that electric vehicles are more affordable over time compared to gasoline. Electric vehicles have a lower carbon footprint after just a few years of use. Despite these benefits, many consumers have yet to purchase electric. It was quickly determined that the Twin Cities were in a “chicken and the egg” scenario for electric vehicles.
While designing the EV Spot Network, we worked with over 10 community organizations and hundreds of residents, asking people to share their transportations experiences, needs, and wants, as well as identify other barriers to accessing carsharing. Many of the current features of Evie are a direct result from community input and knowledge sharing. In 2021, HOURCAR published its findings in an industry-first Community Engagement Report, which can be found here.
During the first 6 months of Evie utilization, 101 electric vehicles operating in our 35 square mile home area logged nearly 25,000 trips totaling almost a quarter of a million miles, reduced an estimated 741 metric tons of greenhouse gas, and resulted in an estimated $2.6 million in transportation cost savings. Get the Results from the First 6 Months of Evie Carshare here.
Find additional information in News.
Xcel Energy is a sponsor of Evie Community Carshare. Xcel Energy supports efforts to increase access to electric vehicles in underserved communities. Learn more about how Xcel Energy is helping customers drive electric.
