Beca supports Southern Hemisphere’s largest electric-vehicle car sharing service

Beca, together with Christchurch City Council and other founding members, is helping to improve environmental and community outcomes to Christchurch and beyond with the Southern Hemisphere’s largest electric vehicle car sharing service.

A 100-strong fleet of shared electric vehicles is now available for businesses and Cantabrians to get around town – a sustainable alternative to traditional rentals and taxis. The fleet (which includes BMW i3s and Hyundai IONIQs) is currently the largest in the Southern Hemisphere, with only a few cities internationally with a similar electric car sharing service.

Kiwi car-sharing company Yoogo was selected by the Council to implement the service, which officially launched at the Christchurch Art Gallery yesterday.

Craig Price – Beca Chief Technical Officer said, “We’re committed to partnering with like-minded organisations on ways we can transition to a low carbon economy.”

“This is an exciting opportunity to adopt new technology that’s not only going to make everyday better for our people and the community, but also help lessen our environmental impact.”

For helping bring the initiative to life, each founding partner was given the opportunity to name an electric vehicle in the fleet. Garth Cann, Christchurch Corporate Services Manager spearheaded our initial involvement and will have one of the cars named after him. He said the ability to optimise and share a common resource with other organisations and the community makes sense economically and environmentally.

“A shared, user-pays model makes a lot more sense than having vehicles sitting around idle,” he said.

“Our team will be able to make regular use of the vehicles for a range of travel requirements within Christchurch and Canterbury, such as visiting clients, going to site, or running errands. The vehicles are modern, comfortable and safe to drive, and our people like the idea that they can contribute daily to a more sustainable future.”

While Yoogo are currently only operating the service in Christchurch, they have big plans to bring more environmentally-friendly vehicles to other areas of New Zealand and beyond.

For more information about Yoogo, visit www.yoogoshare.co.nz.