Residents at Melbourne’s first build-to-rent apartment building, Home Southbank, will be the first customers to have access to a shared electric car under a new program from Origin Energy.
Origin’s new EV car share service is aimed at providing “more Australians with access to cleaner and more affordable transport by removing the barrier of high purchase costs” – high costs which the company claims are preventing up to 72% of people from owning an EV, according to their Future Energy Report 2021.
The new EV car sharing service, called Origin 360 EV Car Share, will be available to apartments and office buildings and will include an EV for exclusive use by building tenants, an easy-to-use booking app, and a dedicated EV charger.
“Origin 360 EV Car Share is a natural extension of the services we already provide today to apartment and office buildings looking to reduce the carbon intensity of their operations including GreenPower, Green Gas, solar, and EV charging,” said Chau Le, Origin’s general manager for e-mobility.
“We know most cars generally sit parked 90% of the time, so in addition to being better for the environment, ditching the old petrol car and making use of a shared EV may prove economical for many people by helping them save on registration, insurance, servicing, fuel, and parking costs.”
Origin’s new EV car sharing service also looks to be a shot across the bow of rival utility AGL, which already runs an EV subscription service.
Origin aims to have as many as 5,000 EVs under fleet management by the end of financial year 2026 and hopes its new car sharing service will help drive large-scale EV adoption.
“Long term, providing more access to shared vehicles will help play an important role in accelerating EV acceptance and adoption by getting more people driving electric without committing to buying one or signing long term leases,” added Chau Le.
The program is available to Origin employees in its Melbourne and Sydney offices, and residents of Home Southbank – which launched in May 2022 – will be the first general public able to access the program via the use of a shared Tesla Model 3.
“Home is dedicated to providing those who live with us a premium and luxurious lifestyle, without compromising on our sustainability strategy,” aid head of Home, Christian Grahame.
“The addition of the Tesla Model 3 at Southbank is a perfect example of this and we’re excited to offer our future Richmond residents access to the program from September.”
Joshua S. Hill is a Melbourne-based journalist who has been writing about climate change, clean technology, and electric vehicles for over 15 years. He has been reporting on electric vehicles and clean technologies for Renew Economy and The Driven since 2012. His preferred mode of transport is his feet.