Hourcar is partnering with Xcel Energy to examine the launch of new car sharing service using only electric vehicles.
Hourcar and Xcel look at electric vehicle ride sharing service
The Twin Cities car sharing outfit and the state's largest electric utility team up on new plan.
April 2, 2018 at 10:40PM
Hourcar currently has 60 vehicles at 52 locations in St. Paul and Minneapolis. The St. Paul-based company plans to convert to zero-emission electric vehicles – and a one-way routing system – by mid-2020.
Currently, Hourcar customers must return vehicles to the location where they were rented – it's a round trip system. Hourcar hopes to begin introducing some zero emission electric vehicles into its fleet as early as 2019.
Minneapolis-based Xcel is expected to pay for half of the $50,000 planning process to transform Hourcar into a one-way system using electric cars, said David Zeller of Hourcar. "Xcel is committed to helping us with the plan."
Hourcar, a non-profit founded 13 years ago, plans to raise the rest of the money for the study..
"Xcel Energy is excited to partner with Hourcar as we have a long term clean energy plan that includes electrifying the transportation industry," Chris Clark, Xcel's president for Minnesota, said in a statement.
The funding is expected to give more than 5,000 Minnesotans, especially in rural areas, high-speed broadband access across the state and help at least 139 businesses and 368 farms.
