EV Carshare in Small and Rural College Communities
The proposed program is designed to address access to mobility in smaller and rural communities by installing EV carshare and charging stations in 18 communities throughout Upstate New York (The 18 communities are home to 19 State University of New York (SUNY) campuses and 19 private academic institutions). Often smaller communities are the last to benefit from technology advances, like EVs, despite disproportionately benefiting from the economic benefits. Smaller and rural communities with colleges and universities have the added need to balance two distinct populations, which in this program become mutually beneficial as the use of carshare by students effectively subsidizes the access to the service for residents. EV carshare and public charging, currently not available in any of these communities, will increase adoption of EVs overall, provide a track record to attract additional capital, and increase the attractiveness of the communities and colleges.
Sway's turnkey EV carshare programs' immediate impact is access to mobility. This includes those who do not have access to a private vehicle or other mode suited to their task or needs, those that choose to reduce or eliminate private vehicle ownership, and those for whom access could allow for new opportunity. The longer term impact is to demonstrate that carshare can thrive in these communities and therefore grow both the number of vehicles and communities served. The impact, both in the short- and long-term, will be to accelerate the transition to EVs by providing hands-on experience, demonstrating the savings and convenience, and through additional charging stations.
Carshare can immediately begin to address the problem of access to mobility while collecting the data necessary to expand the programs and attract additional capital. Success will be measured through the utilization of the program, additional EV registrations, additional charging availability, and additional capital attracted. The scale of the program will also allow for vehicles to be repositioned, if necessary, if utilization is not increasing over time.
Over the three-year period the program will see increasing utilization that will allow some locations to be economically sustainable, others will have a clear pathway, and others may require further support because they serve a specific population or need that funders value (non-profits, foundations, medical programs). The carshare programs will have a deep impact on the community in which it is located, but the network of these programs will have a broad impact across the state.