AutoShare Adds Electric Vehicles to Network
AutoShare is launching its Plug-in Electric Vehicle program,
introducing half a dozen full electric, extended range and plug-in
hybrids to its fleet in 2011. As a company committed to innovation
and sustainable transportation, AutoShare is the first car sharing
company in Canada to add 100 percent electric vehicles to its
fleet. The company has been working with a number of companies
to install a network of charging stations for this project in
Toronto, including Mountain Equipment Co-op (MEC), Toronto Hydro,
Brookfield Place, King and John Festival Corporation, and Toronto
Atmospheric Fund's FleetWise EV300 initiative.
The first shared charging station is located downtown at MEC's
King and Spadina location, which launches today with the Mitsubishi
iMiev. "We couldn't be more excited than to officially launch
Canada's first shared electric car plug-in right at Toronto's
flagship MEC store," says Sean McSweeney, Toronto Store Manager,
MEC. "AutoShare and MEC have always held similar community
and sustainability values and share the same approach to environmental
stewardship. We look forward to continuing our work with AutoShare
on this and other initiatives."
The rest of the shared plug-in stations and vehicles will take
their places on the grid throughout 2011 at locations including
Bell Lightbox, Brookfield Place, Evergreen Brick Works and other
locations to be announced. "This is the first step in letting
Torontonians experience the future of the personal mobility,"
said Kevin McLaughlin, President of AutoShare. "These partnerships
will provide the infrastructure to support the next generation
of car sharing, using electric vehicles and green energy to further
reduce carbon emissions."
"While our biggest environmental impact comes from getting
people to stop owning a car - not by improving the efficiency
of our shared fleet - we are proud to be pioneering plug-in electric
vehicles for our city, and industry. These partnerships, and these
types of initiatives, lay the groundwork for the next generation
of car sharing, using electric vehicles and green energy to further
reduce carbon emissions," adds McLaughlin. All AutoShare
Electric Vehicles will be Bullfrog powered, using only green electricity
from regionally sourced wind and hydro projects. "AutoShare
continues to be a local leader in reducing fleet-based emissions,"
said Ben Marans, Manager of Social Innovation & Transportation
for the Toronto Atmospheric Fund. "They were part of our
first plug-in hybrid pilot four years ago and they are still educating
their clients and the community-at-large on the environmental
and economic benefits of low-emission electric vehicles."
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