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Vancity and Modo are electric

Check out the positive charge at Kitsilano Community Branch. We helped Modo The Car Co-op with a pilot project that helped get the not-for-profit carshare on the journey to adding fully Electric Vehicles (EV) to its fleet.

What is Modo?
Modo, the car sharing co-op, previously known as the Co-operative Auto Network (or, CAN), is the largest carshare co-op, and the first English-speaking, in North America. Started in 1997 in Vancouver, it now has more than 27,000 members sharing 800 cars, trucks, vans and electrics throughout Metro Vancouver.

Modo offers a reliable alternative to car ownership, saving its members money, reducing impact to the environment and nurturing a healthy, vibrant local economy. In fact, as many as 41% of members report they got rid of a car within a year of joining the co-op.

As well, Modo is a recognized leader in the communities in which it operates across the Lower Mainland, Vancouver Island, Squamish and the Okanagan, empowering residents to live more locally and sustainably through support to a variety of Community Partners.

The Modo-Vancity Partnership:
Vancity provided the grant for Modo’s first Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle (PHEV) – which also happened to be the first PHEV carsharing vehicle in Western Canada – as well as a designated parking spot with a charging station at our Kitsilano Community Branch, located at the corner of Waterloo St and W Broadway.

Thanks to the success of that pilot project, Modo has been able to bring more electrics into its fleet. Today, 32% of its growing fleet are hybrid or fully electric, as of May 2023.

The Modo-Vancity partnership plugs in perfectly to our Community Project Grant Areas of Focus: Acting on Climate Change and Growing the Social Economy:

  • The PHEV is a low emission vehicle. Funded through our Shared Success program, a Vancity grant allowed Modo to convert one of their electric-gas hybrid vehicles into this rechargeable hybrid – which was a first step in Modo’s plan to add fully electric vehicles to its fleet within a year from launching the PHEV. Fast forward to 2023, when Modo is committed to a zero-emission fleet by 2030..
  • It’s a great chance for Modo members to try driving electric and plugging in, and for Modo to learn more about the benefits of the PHEV, and charging stations.
  • This project supports carsharing – a smart transportation option that takes cars off the road and reduces greenhouse gas emissions.
  • It also supports Modo, a local not-for-profit, member-owned co-operative.
  • And it gives our Vancity members the chance to be a part of the electric evolution – cutting edge technology designed to make a difference.

The Age of Electric is Here – More about Electric Vehicles
(provided by Science World and BC Hydro)

Electric vehicles are fact, not fiction.
Have you seen one yet? Vancouver is already home to several electric vehicles. They’re fun to drive and easy to charge, with the added bonus of no smelly exhaust fumes. Instead of gassing up, drivers plug vehicles in at home or at charging stations, like the one at the Kitsilano Community Branch.

Electric vehicles make BC greener.
Electric vehicles in British Columbia are some of the greenest forms of automobiles on the planet. This is because they source their power from hydroelectric energy, a clean, renewable energy source. These non-polluting, earth-friendly vehicles are also much quieter than their gas-powered cousins.

Electric vehicles can save you money.
Travelling in an electric vehicle is much cheaper than in a gas powered vehicle, especially with gas prices on the rise. For the same cost an electric vehicle will travel almost five times as far. That’s the difference between driving from Vancouver to Calgary (973 km) and driving from Vancouver to Montreal (4,856 km) via the Trans Canada Highway.

Learn more at www.scienceworld.ca/electricity or www.bchydro.com/ev.

To learn more about Modo and the PHEV pilot project, visit modo.coop/phev.

To learn more about Vancity Community Project Grants, visit vancity.com/grants.