From 2012-2014, Shared Mobility Inc, in partnership with Buffalo CarShare, NYSERDA, and Energetics, piloted the first electric car sharing fleet in New York State to better understand how to provide additional transportation options. During this time, the entire Shared Mobility Team learned a lot from this process which includes the qualitative findings:
EV vehicles purchased in 2012 had a lot of issues regarding battery range, especially in colder weather. Heating the car’s cabin dramatically reduced the ability to travel far. With ideal weather and driving habits yielded about a 120 miles range, while when the weather went below 10 degrees Fahrenheit, mileage dipped as low as 12 miles per charge. This resulted in the ceasing of service of EV vehicles when weather conditions were very cold.
People really enjoyed driving EVs, no matter their socio-economic background. We have a very diverse membership base, and for the most part, everyone likes driving it.
More charging infrastructure is needed to facilitate the use of EVs. Many members were worried about driving to a location where no charging facilities existed, and not having enough power to get back home. This ‘range anxiety’ caused people to change their trip behavior and deter people from using the vehicles
We located EVs at multiple locations for different demographics. One of our locations was at an elderly housing complex. Working with an older generation on new technology programs was not only fun but taught us a lot about how important hands-on interactions were.
We also had some fun with this video displaying electric vehicle month
For more information about this research project please click here