Evo adds 250 more cars to fleet as Car2Go prepares to leave Vancouver

The car-share service Evohas announcedit will be adding 250 more cars to its Vancouver-based fleet, a little more than three weeks before its biggest competitor drops out of the localmarket.

A statement Wednesday said Evo'snew hybrid cars will arrive in the spring, with the company setting its sights on a second expansionin the summer.

Tai Silvey, the company vice-president, described the expansion as Evo "stepping up" as its rival shuts down operations.

Share Now, formerly known as Car2Go, is pulling out of North America after Feb. 29.

The company announced its departure in December, blamingit on the "volatile state of the global mobility landscape." It citedincreasedcompetition among car-share services, rising operating costs and the lack of infrastructure to support new technology such as electric vehicles.

An Evo statement said more than 8,000 new members have signed up for its service since Share Now made its announcement on Dec. 18 50 per cent more new user registrations thanthe same period the year before.

A total of 576 signed up on the day of theannouncement alone. It wasa record-breaking number for Evo andfive times higher than the average number of daily sign-ups.

At the time,Silvey said Share Now's departure wouldease Evo's competition in the city, but he saida selection of transportation options is important in any community.

"Choice is always a good thingfor consumers, so it's a sad day for that," he said in December.

Car-sharing capital

Areport published in 2018 found Vancouver was the "car-sharing capital of North America," with more vehicles per capita than any other cityon the continent. Itfound there are 4.22 car-share vehicles per 1,000 people in Vancouver.

Vancity, a community credit union, said widespread car-sharingcould be contributing to a drop in greenhouse-gas emissions.

"As car-sharing grows in popularity, it's important for car-sharing companies to continue to look for opportunities to incorporate low-emissions vehicles into their fleets," said Anthonia Ogundele, Vancity's manager of environmental sustainability, said in a statement.

Evo said its fleet is made up Toyota Prius hybrids.

Vancouver is also serviced by two other, smaller car-sharing companies:Modo and Zipcar.