Jersey Government partner with EV rental company to promote green transport

EVie, are not the postal delivery company with a similar name, formerly Hermes – this much they make clear on their website. What they are is a shared mobility platform, ‘helping to make the Channel Islands more convenient and connected places.’

EVie have recently partnered with the Government of Jersey to provide subscribers with free credit to use on electric car, van and bike hire across the island.

Under the pilot scheme, users can apply to have an initial £25 subscription fee topped up to £100 worth of credit which lasts for a month.

£25,000 from the Climate Emergency Fund has been allocated to the scheme, topped up with £12,500 in credit from EVie allowing up to 500 Islanders to able to benefit between now and 31 October.

The Minister for the Environment, Deputy Jonathan Renouf, said: ‘The idea is that the extra credit will lead to more minutes, more miles and fewer petrol- and diesel-powered journeys on Jersey’s roads.

‘The additional credit can be split across EVie’s bikes, cars, and vans, and will give users the opportunity to use these low-carbon methods of transport to perhaps commute to and from work, do the weekly shop, or transport a large piece of furniture, for example.

‘This trial scheme will also help us better understand the appetite for shared transport services in Jersey.’

EVie Chief Executive Officer, Jamie Kelly, added: ‘We are thrilled to partner with the Government of Jersey to pilot a subscription scheme that gives real value to Islanders. We hope it will show how, at the right price, Islanders can be encouraged to switch away from personal petrol or diesel vehicles to shared electric transport, without the need to buy their own costly electric bikes or cars.

‘We are delighted to top up the Government’s generous support with additional free usage credit. We believe that, together, we have been able to provide a subscription package that is affordable to everyone.’

EVie recently launched a different partnership scheme on another island, whereby Guernsey Post have made some of their electric vans available for hire when not in use. The vans have been fitted with technology supplied by EVie to make it possible for anyone with an EVie account to hire them by the hour.

Boley Smillie, CEO of Guernsey Post said, ‘We are really pleased to support EVie with their vision of a more sustainable transport system for Guernsey and this is a low-risk commercial opportunity for us to make the most of our investment in our electric fleet.’

Jamie Kelly again: ‘EVie has been offering a shared bike, car and van hire service in Jersey for over three years. Van hire has proved to be one of the most popular parts of its entire shared vehicle fleet, so we are delighted to be working with Guernsey Post in this way as it enables us to expand our service of simple, sustainable, and affordable travel to our Guernsey customers.’