Oberlin launches state’s 1st publicly accessible electric car share | Business

There’s a new way for licensed drivers to get around Oberlin.

The city has launched the Oberlin EV CarShare, Ohio’s first publicly accessible electric vehicle car share program.

For $8 an hour, drivers can rent one of two all-electric 2020 Chevrolet Volt cars.

The city of Oberlin is contracting with Shaker Heights-based Sway Mobility to provide the cars as a transportation option for college students and residents.

The city has had a climate action plan since 2007.

Its 2019 update called for the city to electrify transportation because that accounts for 20 percent of emissions, said Linda Arbogast, sustainabilty coordinator for the city.

Arbogast first heard of Sway Mobility from an Oberlin College student.

The city and transportation company were in talks about two years before the April 1 launch.

“It’s accessible to anyone with a driver’s license, it’s affordable, it’s a very quick turnaround for a background check, it comes fully insured,” Arbogast said. “So, we really focused on how to make it accessible.”

Area residents may not tally their total car costs at the end of the year, but it adds up to thousands of dollars, said Michael Peters, Sway Mobility CEO and co-founder.

Peters cited annual car expense studies by AAA.

People may pay more for transportation than for housing, he said.

Those who don’t own cars may choose to walk, ride a bike or a bus, Peters said.

But for some errands, it is more convenient to have a car, he said.

The car share offers another avenue of mobility, Peters said.

The program is exciting for the company and for the city, he said.

“So, Oberlin is really leading the way on that and demonstrating, I think, to a lot of other communities what can be done in the transportation sector,” Peters said.

The cars are located at Oberlin City Hall parking lot, 85 S. Main Street, behind the city Police Department, and at the George A. Abram Memorial Pavilion, 273 S. Main St. behind the McDonald’s restaurant.

There are charging stations at both locations.

Fully charged, the cars have a range of 259 miles.

The program functions almost like a self-serve car rental business, Peters said.

Drivers download a smart phone-based app to apply for the program and reserve a car.

Once qualified, the app functions like a car key fob, unlocking doors to get in.

There is no ignition key.

The cars operate in park, neutral and driving forward and reverse.

They are peppy to drive, Arbogast said, and more responsive than a Toyota Prius.

Drivers could opt to drive for a weekend, but at the per hour cost, a rental car is the better option for longer travel, Peters said.

The car share is meant to operate year-round, so drivers in winter may have to brush snow off.

Peters estimated winter and summer may have spikes in use due to more cold and hot weather, but that remains to be seen.

So far, the Oberlin car share has more than 50 participants signed up.

As of April 23, they made about 40 trips ranging from three or four miles, up to 100 miles, with times ranging from a half hour to eight hours.

“I think that I’m pleasantly surprised at how it has taken off,” Arbogast said.

To make a smooth start, the city has had a soft launch with little promotion so far, she said.

“I would say we, too, are pleasantly surprised,” Peters said.

The car share programs sometimes start slowly because there is a sign-up process and people must get used to it, he said.

“So, I would say we are definitely ahead of where we thought we would be at this point,” Peters said.