CarShare Vermont used UPWP funding to support our efforts to better meet the transportation needs of households with lower incomes by conducting outreach about the expansion of our carsharing service at four affordable housing developments in the Burlington area, and to promote awareness about our MobilityShare membership, which provides free memberships and subsidized driving rates to residents of the properties (and to all income eligible households in the community). This study helped inform an MTI grant awarded by the Vermont Agency of Transportation in late 2020 to introduce electric carsharing onsite at the affordable housing sites to improve access to both our service and to EVs, recognizing that EV access through ownership may be impossible or undesired for many individuals and households.

This report details CarShare Vermont’s key findings and recommendations for effectively integrating electric vehicles (EVs) into shared fleets following a research-turned-pilot project. CCRPC funding supported research and planning, then CarShare Vermont self-funded a project to pilot our first EV with in-kind support from the Burlington Electric Department. The report provides more than 12 months of data about how the EV was used and by whom, its environmental impacts, and the financial and operational implications of converting to an electric fleet, as well as our recommendations for policies that will better support the integration of EVs into carsharing systems.

Electric vehicle charging equipment municipal permitting information for Winooski, Vermont.

Electric vehicle charging equipment municipal permitting information for Shelburne, Vermont.

Electric vehicle charging equipment municipal permitting information for Richmond, Vermont.

Electric vehicle charging equipment municipal permitting information for Essex Junction, Vermont.

Electric vehicle charging equipment municipal permitting information for Town of Colchester, VT.

Electric vehicle charging equipment municipal permitting information for the City of Burlington, Vermont.

Multi-unit dwelling (MUD) residents in apartments and condominiums often have more challenges in gaining access to home EV charging due to parking issues and cost. Renters in MUDs have additional barriers to long-term investments in charging infrastructure for shorter-term housing. Approximately 36% of Chittenden County housing units are in MUD communities and of those 86% are rental units, so overcoming these barriers is critical to meeting energy and equity goals.  VEIC worked with CCRPC and Drive Electric Vermont stakeholders to develop a survey to gauge MUD property owners’ interest in EV charging infrastructure and better what resources and assistance may be most helpful in supporting them. This report concludes with several recommendations for resources, outreach and education to address barriers and empower MUD owners and residents to move forward with EV infrastructure plans.