Modo Drives into the Future

Modo has made driving in B.C. a little bit more sustainable since its inception. Their car-sharing model has been proven to reduce greenhouse gases, and research shows that for every Modo in a neighbourhood, nine to 13 private cars are removed from the street.

With nearly 40 per cent of carbon emissions in Vancouver coming from transport, Modo is providing an alternative for those looking for a more sustainable way to get around. The company has responded to the climate emergency by committing to making its fleet zero-emission by 2030.

This means that the co-op is already bringing a variety of electric vehicles to their members. Vehicles include battery electric vehicles, or BEVs, which the co-op pairs with home stations equipped with charging infrastructure, and fuel-cell electric vehicles, or FCEVs, which use hydrogen to power the battery and emit only water vapour at the tailpipe. These vehicles are easy to use and perform similarly to a vehicle with an internal-combustion engine.

This is an exciting development for the venerable car sharing co-op, which was founded in 1997 with two cars and 17 members centred in Vancouver’s West End. The co-op was founded to make car use cheaper and more accessible, and favour a lifestyle of walking, riding, rolling and public transit over driving. The co-op now has a varied fleet of approximately 700 vehicles, with members able to rent large vans, convenient sedans and even convertibles.

Across all modes of transport, there is a sea change underway to make getting around more sustainable. In rapidly densifying cities, privately owned cars are parked up to 95 per cent of the time, occupying space that could be used to make neighbourhoods more enjoyable and inclusive. A Modo car is a community amenity that makes weekend road trips and running errands easier to access. About one-third of Modo members say goodbye to a privately owned car after joining the co-op.

With the expansion of charging infrastructure across the province, each zero-emission vehicle is equipped with a BC Hydro charging card, allowing members to charge at any BC Hydro, Flo or ChargePoint station while on the go. (Modo also covers fuel costs for cars using gasoline and all Modo rides include insurance.)

Modo encourages all members to embrace a multi-modal lifestyle, choosing walking, biking or public transit for their trips when appropriate, and using the car share for those occasions when they need a car.

Ever since their earliest days in the West End, Modo has been about providing any car you need and making more sustainable choices.

To learn more about Modo and to make the switch to car sharing, visit Modo's website.