In just two weeks COVID-19 emergency has radically changed our habits.
To contribute towards this new situation, I-SharE LIFE Partners decided to act and use the assets of their project, even if in a test phase, to support institutions and volunteers fighting against this sanitary emergency.
The e-car sharing operators E-VAI and GPP, with the whole LIFE fleet, are committed.
E-VAI
in just 2 weeks COVID-19 emergency has radically changed E-Vai’s customers habits: EV utilization and revenues, as for the entire transport sector and in particular shared mobility, has undergone drastic reductions, equal to 85-90 %, while requiring additional support from E-Vai such as sanitization and security of operating personnel who must operate in conditions of greater safety with effective Personal Protective Equipment.
It is clear that, as for many other industries, the future will be different, and therefore E-Vai will have to identify new service models, to design new ways of distributing services and to anticipate the needs and behaviors of customers, in a different way from the past. Even the communication that E-Vai imagined will have to leverage other needs. It is a challenge and an opportunity that E-Vai will have to grasp quickly, and that will also depend on authorities decisions: authorities might push more on restriction of endothermic mobility in urban centers or outside, or push on a greater sharing of vehicles and however their reduction, if smart working will become a model and no longer a requirement, it is evident that private cars to reach the workplace will remain unused for longer, creating the conditions for greater sharing versus property.
In the meantime, in order to face the current emergency, E-Vai has also decided to offer support to current needs, starting from our territory, the Lombardy Region: E-Vai offered to Municipalities clients and to main cities of Lombardy (the provincial capitals) the free use of own electric vehicles for the whole month of April.
Through E-VAI/LIFE Platform Municipalities will be able to assign cars to associations and professionals operating essential services: transport of medicines, delivery of meals, transfers of medical and nursing staff or volunteers involved in the management of essential services. Before being delivered the cars will be sanitized and made safe.
Some examples:
- 3 vehicles to the Municipality of Bergamo which will be used for social services
- 1 vehicle to our client Saronno Servizi to be assigned to a consortium of pharmacies
- 2 vehicles to the Municipality of Rozzano which will be used to bring food home
- 3 vehicles to the Municipality of Monza, through Monza Mobilità S.p.A., for social services; while an Hypermarket (Iper Montebello) will make its charging stations available
- 2 vehicles to the Municipality of Sondrio will be used by Civil Defense
- 2 vehicles to the Municipality of Pavia to be used by own employes
A total of 20 vehicles, both LIFE and E-VAI are currently used for free by Public Institutions, and E-Vai will continue to offer its own contribution as long as possible.
OSIJEK
In these extraordinary times in fighting COVID-19 pandemia, the City of Osijek and its public transport operator GPP made a decision to make electric vehicles from the car sharing system, being deployed through the I-Share LIFE project, available to representatives of Red Cross and their volunteers.
Their mission is to assist all citizens in self-isolation and the riskiest groups (chronically ill, diabetics, with heart diseases, older citizens with limited mobility) in getting them necessary food supplies and medicines. The volunteers are risking their lives to assist the risky groups, showing incredible courage and dedication to help those in need. Electric vehicles are proving to be one of the cornerstones of flexible and timely service in these times of need and focus on our loved ones. All of their efforts are being centrally coordinated with regional Civil Protection Directorate, City Mayor’s Office and the Home Affairs Ministry of Republic of Croatia.
