On Modo car share's 25th year, co-op says barriers to zero-emission goals remain

The Modo car share co-op is celebrating 25 years on the road and with it, 25 years of car sharing in Vancouver.

Since 1997, Modo has grown from two vehicles — two '95 Pontiac Firefly hatchbacks — and eight founding members, to 800 vehicles and over 26,000 members.

David Lach has seen it all happen: the 81-year-old Vancouver man is member number nine.

"When the co-op appeared on the horizon, it was just, for me, just the ideal way because I didn't need a car all the time," Lach said.

Andy Yan, director of Simon Fraser University's City Program, says since Modo became the first provider in the city, car sharing has become an important part of Vancouver's transportation fabric.

"It's really part of, I think, a larger movement trying to offer choices beyond just owning the car," Yan said. "And really also adding on to the realities of living in a city where you may need a car sometimes."

Modo's CEO Patrick Nangle says the co-op's future means further adoption of zero-emission vehicles. Right now their fleet is three per cent zero emission, and they want 100 per cent by 2030.

But getting there, he says, comes with some challenges. 

Incentives, charging, supply

Nangle says one of the biggest issues Modo faces is limited access to federal and provincial electric vehicle purchase incentives.

They are restricted to accessing 50 lifetime provincial rebates — $3,000 for a new electric vehicle and $1,500 for a used one — and 10 federal rebates annually of $5,000 per vehicle.

"In order for the economics to work we need equitable access to both incentives … and without limit," Nangle wrote in an email.

"Our intention is to transition all 800 vehicles in our fleet, not only 50."

The federal transportation ministry says the 10-per-year rebate limit exists to prioritize incentives for individuals and maximize the number of business that can use them.

The provincial energy ministry says Modo has not hit the 50-vehicle threshold yet. Nangle says they've only used about half so far because of other constraints to zero-emission vehicle acquisition: limited charging stations and supply chain issues stymieing the supply of new vehicles. 

"I mean, you can't buy an electric vehicle today. No matter how deep your pockets are, it's nearly impossible," Nangle said, adding he hopes the issue will be resolved in the near term.

He adds Modo is working with municipalities and other partners to improve charging station access.

Big changes

When Lach joined Modo, electric vehicles were years away.

There were no key fobs to get in a car or online booking. Reserving a vehicle meant calling up one of the founders and asking for one.

"It was very primitive in those days," Lach said.

But as someone who didn't drive much, it was relatively painless to use car share instead of owning a vehicle personally, Lach says.

He uses Modo cars for running errands, driving out to hiking destinations and even road trips as far afield as Alert Bay on Cormorant Island — near northeast Vancouver Island — and Oregon.

"You have to decide that you're going to do less using a car than you are now because you do have to change your habits," Lach said.

"I didn't see it as a deprivation."

Yan says while there are multiple car share services in the Vancouver area, he believes Modo's co-operative ownership structure has helped it to endure the longest.

"It's not only Modo, but you can also think about Vancity that Vancouver is a leader in showing … there are alternatives to a market economy," Yan said.

"It … leverages really a kind of pre-existing culture that is, I think, somewhat unique to Vancouver."