Bingen, White Salmon partner With GoForth CarShare; EVs now available
From Washington Gorge Action Programs:
By Tamara Kaufman
Bingen and White Salmon, WA, Aug. 4, 2023 – The Cities of Bingen and White Salmon are partnering with Forth, an Oregon-based nonprofit focused on increasing equitable access to electric transportation, to launch GoForth CarShare, a community carsharing program. Beginning August 1, 2023, the public now has access to two all-electric Chevy Bolt vehicles.
Bingen Mayor Catherine Kiewit is excited about the Zero-Emissions Access Program (ZAP) grant funding the two cities accessed from Washington State to set up the infrastructure and cover the booking platform, vehicle maintenance, and insurance costs. She said this limits costs passed onto customers.
“The rental rate basically needs to cover the cost of electricity and credit card transaction fees,” Kiewit said. “Now we can give our communities this unique experience at a reasonable price.”
Using the Miocar Networks app to book trips, community members and visitors can test drive these EVs for a free four-hour ride and then rent them for subsequent trips at $4 per hour or $35 per day with the first 150 miles included. After that, the cost will be 35 cents per additional mile. Drivers are responsible for paying bridge tolls. When fully charged, the vehicles have a range of approximately 250 miles.
To book a GoForth vehicle, community members can download the Miocar Networks app and sign up as a GoForth CarShare member. Members must be at least 21 years old, with a valid US driver’s license and a clean driving record. After the initial approval process, which can take 2-3 business days, members will have access to all vehicles in the GoForth network.
The two vehicles each have a dedicated parking space and charging station. In Bingen, the location is next to Daubenspeck Park at 400 W Steuben Street, and in White Salmon, at 119 NE Church Avenue. Both sites also include additional electric vehicle charging stations (1 in Bingen, 3 in White Salmon) available at 30 cents/ kWh.
According to a recent release by Forth, carsharing is an efficient alternative to owning a vehicle, and drivers who use a carsharing system can access a car without paying the high costs of ownership, including repairs and insurance. The organization promotes electric carsharing benefits for the environment and public health, noting that EVs are oil-free, produce no smog, and produce 85% fewer carbon emissions than traditional cars.
“GoForth will increase access to clean mobility options in Bingen and White Salmon while expanding electric vehicle carsharing into the rural landscape," said Connor Herman, program manager of Forth.
This project is made possible with funding and collaboration from local organizations, including Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP), to increase access to clean transportation and make low-cost EV rental available to rural and historically underserved communities.
“Transportation is a challenge in the Columbia River Gorge region,” said Leslie Naramore, WAGAP executive director. “Residents drive long distances between communities for work and access to necessities such as food and medical facilities, and there are limited options for public transportation.”
WAGAP is supporting this new program by providing $10,000 in matching grant funding for low-income families toward vouchers for the use of the new EVs. “We are hopeful this will alleviate some of the burden of the cost of local travel in addition to introducing the benefits of EVs to people at all income levels,” Naramore said.
White Salmon Mayor Marla Keethler says the partners plan to be available at various events throughout the summer to introduce the EVs to the communities and help people sign up on the Miocar Networks app.
“Making sure residents are aware of this opportunity and that we are making it easy to access are essential to the success of this program. We’ll be at White Salmon Farmers Market on Tuesdays and the Huckleberry Festival in September to display the cars and answer questions from community members,” Keethler said. “It is our hope that this program helps address what we know to be a need for many residents to have access to transportation.”
The Bingen/White Salmon GoForth CarShare pilot program is funded through June 2025. At the end of the grant period, the cities will own the EV charging stations and re-evaluate the carshare program to see if it is sustainable.
GoForth CarShare currently operates in Oregon in the cities of Ashland, Bend, Clatskanie, The Dalles, Eugene, La Pine, Philomath, and Veneta, as well as in Longview, Washington.
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Washington Gorge Action Programs (WAGAP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit Community Action Agency that helps individuals, families, and communities. WAGAP addresses basic human needs, including food, shelter, energy assistance, and more, in Skamania and Klickitat Counties. For more than 50 years, WAGAP has helped people help themselves and reach self-sufficiency. Learn more at wagap.org, or contact WAGAP at (509) 493-2662 or info@wagap.org.
