EV and e-bike sharing shakes up community housing

Residents at the new, 90-home Brougham Street development in Christchurch will now be able to jump into — or onto — shared electric cars and bikes as part of the recent initiative from Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust.

The new development is a community of energy efficient homes that are linked by green spaces and a range of shared facilities. The site achieved New Zealand Green Building Council's Homestar 7 rating, which means the homes use less energy, are well insulated, and cost less to run.

Low carbon transport for communities

As part of the scheme, residents have access to two shared Nissan Leafs and five electric bikes. It’s part of a two-year trial in partnership with Canterbury, Lincoln, and Otago universities, to learn how shared, low carbon transport can work for a social housing community.

Researchers will speak with tenants to get their views on the sharing scheme, and the car booking system will also help provide data around usage, demand, and user feedback.

Currently, Leeson says ŌCHT provides a single car parking space for each tenant, but he’s hoping that the trial, which is the first of its kind in the country, will show if that is needed long-term.

“We’d love to know we can reduce the number of car parks we provide, with alternatives that let us replace asphalt with green spaces,” Mr Leeson said.

Shared cars for rent

The two Nissan Leafs are co-funded jointly by ŌCHT, Orion, and EECA (the Energy Efficiency and Conservation Authority) through its Low Emissions Vehicle Contestable Fund (LEVCF). The EVs are managed by Zilch and can be booked online through Zilch's booking portal.

It doesn't cost anything to sign up, and ŌCHT is subsidising the cost for tenants which brings the hourly rate down to $8. For comparison, a one-way 5km taxi ride would cost around $19 and around $13 in an Uber, where that 10km return trip in the Leaf would be $8.

"Buying a car, registration, petrol, servicing, tyres, and insurance – it all mounts up and cuts into household budgets, and we want to see if people will use alternatives."

ŌCHT have provided EV guides for residents and there are regular 'Have-a-go' sessions with Better New Zealand Trust where people can learn more about the scheme and try out an EV for themselves. ŌCHT is also finding ways to encourage uptake, like offering residents an hour of free rental.

Adding bikes to the mix

The five electric bikes at the development are all provided by ŌCHT, and are completely free to use. Residents can book the bikes through an app, and the service is managed by Big Street Bikers who provide bike parking and charging stations, called Locky Docks, in cities around the country.

There’s a charger in each parking bay of the Locky Dock, making it easy to charge up the bikes. According to Big Street Bikers, a fully charged bike tends to last about 40-50km, meaning plenty of range for local trips.

"There's been a lot of uptake for the bikes,” says Leeson. “And as people use them, they’re realising how good the scheme is. The bikes are great for local journeys, but if it’s a rubbish day or you need to do a shop, the electric vehicle is a better way to go."

Cutting their carbon footprint

Toitū te whenua, environmental sustainability, is one of the core values at Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust – and the EV and bike sharing scheme is one part of that.

The housing trust is also a Toitū carboNZero certified organisation, and is measuring, managing, and reducing their emissions as part of their certification. They’ve got a target to cut their base emissions by 26% by December 31, 2025.

Encouraging uptake of low emissions transport by tenants will help, but the trust will also convert its fleet cars to electric vehicles by the end of 2025, as well as cutting down on travel, and finding ways to minimise waste.

What’s next?

There are another two housing developments in the pipeline at ŌCHT, says Leeson, and they will both include car sharing infrastructure.

“We can see the value in helping people get around, and the scheme is starting to take off. It’s been great to work together with Zilch, Big Street Bikers, Orion and EECA on this project and achieve such a positive outcome.”

Learn more about Ōtautahi Community Housing Trust(external link)