Electric Carsharing
25 July 2023
Carsharing has become a popular solution for many people, for both economic and ecological reasons. The good news is that electric cars are also increasingly available on various carsharing platforms. Driving electric does not have to mean owning an electric vehicle (EV). Several EV carsharing options are currently available in Québec, in both urban and rural areas.
The benefits of carsharing
Having access to an electric car through carsharing offers many undeniable advantages. As with carsharing in general, this approach to travelling by car means that you do not have to own a car, or that a household can own one vehicle. In the case of electric cars, one can afford to drive emission-free without having to deal with the higher purchase price of such a vehicle. And sharing an EV gives you the feeling of doing even more for the environment.
EV carsharing in urban areas
Carsharing options are diverse in big cities like Montreal. Communauto cars with their visible logo are very present, as they are in Quebec City, Gatineau and Sherbrooke, among others. However, it's a lesser-known fact that its fleet also includes a range of EVs available to its members.
Other shared mobility initiatives such as LocoMotion, a Montreal-based organization, and Turo, a multinational with members across the province, also facilitate EV carsharing. The owner of an EV can easily lend his or her vehicle for a fee that includes insurance and mileage.
Other urban initiatives, such as Goclico for buildings with indoor parking, offer EV carsharing. In this way, condo-dwellers can forgo the solo car in favour of access to an EV on demand.
EV carsharing in rural areas
Québec's smaller municipalities are not outdone, quite the contrary. With public transit almost non-existent, it can be difficult to get rid of your personal vehicle when you live in a small municipality far from major urban centres. Initiatives such as the SAUVéR Project offer a solution to this problem. First, municipalities are encouraged to purchase EVs for their own fleet of service cars. Since these cars are only used on weekdays by city staff, they are made available to citizens on evenings and weekends. Some twenty municipalities, from Malartic to the Îles-de-la-Madeleine, have now signed up to the concept.
The many financial and environmental benefits of EV carsharing mean that this trend is sure to gain ground over the next few years. Whether you're testing out electric driving or really doing your part for the planet when it comes to getting around by car, electric carsharing is changing the game for even more sustainable, yet affordable, mobility.