Demand for Electric Car-Sharing Rises in Australia Despite Lagging EV Policies

Amid growing criticism of the Australian government’s lagging electric vehicle policies and in a market that experts say is “uniquely hostile” to the industry, electric car-sharing company evee has seen demand rise for its services.

“The demand for electric cars is unprecedented and despite the lack of government policy, Australians are ready to drive, experience, and buy EVs – we’re hearing this directly from our customers,” said evee founder Slava Kozlovskii.

While the next generation of electric vehicles are delivering more power, faster acceleration and increased driving range between charges, the prices of electric vehicles remain out of reach for everyday Australia. Full battery electric vehicles such as the MG ZS EV is currently the cheapest EV to enter the Australian market priced at $43,990 drive away (meaning no additional on road costs), while the Nissan Leaf is priced at $53,190 drive away.

In 2015, with the goal of making electric transport more accessible and available, Kozlovskii launched evee, enabling peer-to-peer electric car-sharing between owners and renters. The idea is simple– Australian travellers get an opportunity to hire an electric vehicle and owners generate rental income by lending out their electric vehicles.

*Customers can rent a Tesla through evee’s electric car-sharing platform.*

Fast forward to today, the company has tripled its car rental growth year-on-year and now gives users access to a range of industry-leading EVs which includes Tesla (from private car owners), the Audi e-tron, Hyundai Ioniq and BMW i3. In Perth, the Mini Electric is available for rental.

While evee wasn’t immune to the economic impacts of the pandemic, Australia’s only electric car-sharing platform was able to increase their vehicle fleet range from 19 to over 60 cars in 2020. This year, the company is set to expand into the country’s major cities including Sydney, Melbourne, Perth, Adelaide, Brisbane, Gold Coast and Cairns.

“After an unpredictable start to 2020, we’re proud to make a strong comeback in 2021 with evee’s growth now exceeding our pre-covid levels,” said Kozlovskii.

“We have worked hard to expand our offering to connect EV owners with eco-conscious drivers nationwide, making EV driving options readily available and accessible to everyone.”

According to the company, each car rental travels 160km/day and saves 12.8kg of CO2 when compared to a petrol-powered vehicle.

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All images supplied by evee.