In the past 10 years, there has been tremendous growth in shared mobility services. As discussed at our October 2016 monthly event, electric vehicles are also making their debut in car sharing services around the globe, including ReachNow here in the Pacific Northwest. The benefits of electric vehicles in car sharing fleets include the reduction of air pollution and its harmful effects, and for users, financial savings gained by not owning and maintaining a vehicle. While more and more people are taking advantage of car sharing, not all groups are, and unfortunately, most underserved communities do not have the same ease of access to car sharing services as other communities.

Electric transportation and car sharing can greatly benefit underserved communities, which are often disproportionately affected by air pollution and located farther away from public transportation services. Current examples of low-income car sharing programs include City CarShare (San Francisco, CA) and Buffalo CarShare (Buffalo, NY). 

Joel Espino, Environmental Equity Legal Counsel at the Greenlining Institute, will discuss his organization's work to research, promote and support electric vehicle car sharing in underserved communities. Joel will explain the lessons learned, best practices and challenges to date. The Greenlining Institute, an organization that advances economic opportunity and empowerment for people of color, serves as part of the Charge Ahead California steering committee and has had a substantive role in the efforts to make electric vehicles available to underserved communities. The Charge Ahead California Initiative (SB 1275) passed in 2014 and is designed to increase the deployment of electric vehicles with an emphasis on ensuring low- and moderate-income Californians benefit from the transition to a cleaner transportation system. 

Registration is FREE for Drive Oregon members, $25 for the general public. Registration includes hors d'oeuvres and local wine and beer.

Organized by Drive Oregon.