The new partnership will expand an affordable model for underserved communities
February 2, 2022
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
MEDIA CONTACTS:
Jeff Kosmacher, Mobility Development, (603) 209-1320, jeff@mobilitydevelopment.org
Kevin Friedman, Forth, (503) 381-4085, kevinf@forthmobility.org
CHICAGO, IL — Forth and Mobility Development Group are creating a national partnership with support from the U.S. Department of Energy (DOE) to launch the Affordable Mobility Platform (AMP), which will establish electric vehicle (EV) carsharing based at affordable housing sites in at least five states over the next two years.
This carsharing model builds upon the success of the Miocar program in California’s San Joaquin Valley (supported by Mobility Development), as well as Forth’s experience of piloting similar programs in rural Oregon – both efforts received proof of concept funding from DOE in 2019. These programs make it possible for people to drive EVs without having to own one, and are based in rural and urban locations where having access to a car can be critical to economic independence.
The AMP program will concentrate on communities that have early interest in collaboration from local affordable housing developers, utilities and clean energy advocates, based in part on Forth’s work advancing this concept nationally through the Bloomberg American Climate Communities Challenge. The first states included in the program are: Oregon, Washington State, North Carolina, Missouri and Michigan. Mobility Development and Forth will seek to grow the program beyond these initial states as the federal government ramps up climate investments through the Justice40 initiative, and as other stakeholders work to accelerate the transition to electric mobility.
Jeff Allen, Executive Director of Forth:
“Increasing equitable access to electric cars and charging is central to Forth’s mission. By combining our experience in developing successful national programs on EV outreach, education and access with Mobility Development’s experience with community EV carsharing, our partnership creates an opportunity to build an impactful, affordable and lasting program model. Together, we are working to ensure that those who are often hit first and worst by emissions-based pollution are also included in and involved with new technological advances addressing these issues, while also providing greater access to personal transportation options.”
Creighton Randall, CEO of Mobility Development:
“This partnership allows us to create meaningful impact on a national scale. Our EV carsharing operational experience and background working in marginalized communities, combined with Forth’s deep national network and impressive understanding of federal and state clean energy policy, will allow us to work more dynamically with communities throughout the U.S.”
The Affordable Mobility Platform also reflects a larger alignment underway between Forth and Mobility Development. In 2021 the two nonprofits began actively discussing how to combine their expertise to more effectively accomplish common goals around equitable transportation. To solidify their commitment, Mobility Development and Forth recently signed a formal memorandum of understanding, which maps out how the two groups will collaborate to “advance and accelerate the adoption of EV carsharing in low-income, underserved communities.”
These programs launching through the AMP initiative in 2022 and 2023 will demonstrate how Forth and Mobility Development plan to complement one another in their joint work. Knowledge-sharing between the nonprofits is a core principle laid out in their new partnership, ranging from respective best practices to use-cases that will help guide continuous improvement in their services. The partners seek to drive down the cost of providing nonprofit carsharing services through:
- A unified software and telematics platform provided by Mobility Development
- Purchases of vehicles and insurance coverage that gain from economies of scale
- A national bilingual call center for user with limited or intermittent smartphone access
- Support to other communities that are working to develop non-profit shared mobility models
ABOUT FORTH
Forth is a non-profit organization dedicated to the equitable advancement of clean transportation. Founded in 2011, Forth builds program and policy models that significantly expand equitable access to electric transportation in the U.S. and beyond. The Forth Roadmap Conference is the nation’s leading electric transportation conference.
ABOUT MOBILITY DEVELOPMENT GROUP
Mobility Development Group is a social enterprise founded in 2018 to support the launch and growth of community-controlled mobility networks. Mobility Development works with cities, community-based organizations, transit authorities, and social service agencies in several states to implement clean mobility options, such as EV carsharing, in marginalized communities. The Mobility Development team has worked with communities from Los Angeles to Albany (NY) to raise over $100 million for equity-focused programs and is growing to support 20+ communities with non-profit or publicly-owned programs by 2023.