Denver is one of the fastest growing cities in the nation, making the need for sustainable and affordable transportation options immediate. Fortunately, Colorado-based nonprofit eGo CarShare has 20 years of experience helping to address this need.
The organization’s mission is simple: empowering people to live a car-free (or car “lite”) lifestyle with a positive impact on their health, their wealth, the environment and our community. As a part of this, eGo CarShare offers a fleet of approximately 50 vehicles across Denver and Boulder counties for short-term (15 minutes) to long-term (several days) bookings.
One of the characteristics that makes eGo special is that instead of the cars being held in a solitary facility or being free-floating so that you’re never sure where vehicles may be, they are strategically stationed throughout Denver and Boulder counties.
Another important attribute, explains the organization’s CEO Peter D. Krahenbuhl, is that “eGoCarShare was started by Colorado locals, for locals and for the broader community, so it is implicitly unique in that regard.”
Through a partnership with the Denver Metro Chamber of Commerce, eGo is launching a new carshare location this fall on-site at the Chamber’s headquarters at 1445 Market St. The hybrid vehicle will not only provide Chamber staff, members, local businesses and residents with incredibly accessible and affordable transportation, but also align with eGo’s ambitious sustainability goals.
Krahenbuhl recently announced plans for eGo CarShare to become the nation’s first nonprofit electric vehicle (EV) carshare organization, including in mixed-income areas that are currently underserviced. eGo’s intent is to directly address the City and County of Denver’s progressive mobility, social-equity and sustainability goals, while helping people and organizations save money and mitigate pollution, traffic and parking congestion.
“By providing credits, reduced rates and/or subsidies through partnerships with cities, foundations and other organizations, we are able to serve low-tomixed income (LMI) communities throughout the Denver metro region,” Krahenbuhl explains.
This focus on LMI communities again ties in with the goal of becoming the nation’s first nonprofit EV carshare organization. Electric vehicles are significantly cheaper to maintain than traditional cars over time, and, although eGo is just beginning its EV carshare journey, its existing hybrid-laden fleet’s average fuel economy is 22 percent better than the national average, preventing over 3,650 tons of greenhouse gases from entering the atmosphere every year.
Plus, eGo CarShare covers the cost of fuel, insurance and maintenance for all reservations. With members only paying small hourly and mileage fees, eGo membership is shown to save individuals up to $650 per month versus estimated costs of car ownership.
According to eGo Co-founder and Operations Director Karen Worminghaus, becoming a member is relatively seamless: just fill out an online application and, once approved – which typically takes just one business day – members are mailed a key fob that provides them with access to eGo’s hybrid, EV and specialty AWD vehicles and trucks. Businesses and individuals can then directly book a vehicle through eGo’s website, whether it be 15 minutes ahead for immediate use or up to a full year in advance for future plans.
Members of the Chamber can take advantage of exclusive business and nonprofit rates, including a Chamber member discount. Once the master business account is created, any individual in the organization can make direct bookings, with a regular invoice sent to the umbrella organization, allowing employees to take advantage of eGo’s services under a single account. With business and nonprofit rates as low as $4/hour and $0.33/mile, eGo will also waive the $25 application fee and offer $75 in driving credit for Denver Metro Chamber members.
Sign up as an eGo CarShare business member here, and use the promo code DMC2019 or contact Zack Pensak at zack@carshare. org or 303-720-1185, ext. 4.
