Charging network provider Evie Networks has broken cover on a plan to rent zero emissions vehicles out to rideshare drivers in an effort to raise awareness of and demand for electric vehicles (EVs).
On Tuesday, the new EV rental business, eMentum, quietly shared its plan to offer a charging-inclusive EV rental to members of the all-female rideshare company Shebah in South East Queensland.
The service, which will first be available to rideshare drivers who drive for Shebah, Uber, Didi and GoCatch in Brisbane and the Sunshine Coast, allows drivers to select one of two membership levels which give access to an all-electric Hyundai Ioniq, one of Australia’s most affordable EVs at just under $50,000 before on-roads.
Evie Networks’ CEO Chris Mills said in a note by email to The Driven that the idea was borne of a need to increase the number of electric vehicles in Australia.
“We weren’t going to sit around waiting for that to happen,” Mills said. “We have taken the step to provide vehicles to some of the hardest working drivers in Australia who can benefit from the low operating costs of electric vehicles.”
“By getting electric vehicles on the road in the hands of drivers who are going to drive them intensively we can maximise the clean air and carbon reduction benefits of transitioning this fleet of vehicles. The benefits of transitioning a rideshare vehicle are as much a 3x that of transitioning a personal car.”
To read the full version of this story, please go to our EV-focussed sister site, The Driven and click here…
