Canada/Ritchot shared electric car project to be launched in the new year
In 2026, five electric vehicles from the Rural Municipality of Ritchot will be made available to the community through an application. This program aims to reduce the ecological burden of travel in the municipality and diversify the means of transportation available.
Initially, the municipality's plan was to install charging stations on its territory and electrify its fleet of vehicles. Since it was already making the switch to electric cars, the R.M. of Ritchot decided to see how they could offer this car service to the community," explains Dany Robidoux, General Manager of Éco-Ouest Canada, which is supporting the Municipality in this project.
It's probably a first in Manitoba.
A quote from Dany Robidoux, Executive Director of Éco-Ouest Canada
This model is based on a Quebec initiative, SAUVéR. Users will be able to rent cars via an app, at a reduced price. Between $3 and $12 per trip, estimates Joel Lemoine, Ritchot city councillor. He adds, however, that the fare structure will be determined at the end of the test phase currently being conducted by the municipality.
It's much cheaper than having a car that consumes gasoline.
A quote from Joel Lemoine, Ritchtot town councillor
The cars are in the parking lot of the municipal office in Saint-Adolphe. But they will be distributed throughout the municipality, according to the needs of the population and demand. All we need is an illuminated spot where you can park safely and recharge your car," explains the municipal councillor.
A feasible but challenging initiative
The CEO of Peg City Car Co-op, Winnipeg's car-sharing system, is impressed by Ritchot's initiative. In his view, this electric-only system is feasible but presents challenges, particularly in rural areas where commutes can be longer than in the city.
It would be the only car-sharing system in Canada that uses only electric vehicles.
A quote from Philip Mikulec, President and CEO of Peg City Car Co-op
He points out that the majority of car-sharing companies are moving in the direction of electric cars, but are not able to replace their entire fleet. Peg City Car Co-op has begun adding electric vehicles to its fleet. It currently has just 5, but hopes to have a hundred within 5 years.
But Ritchot's project makes sense, according to Philip Mikulec, since the future of car travel is electric, and this is certainly the direction chosen by car-sharing providers.
It's tried and tested.
Nonetheless, Manitoba is less advanced in terms of electric car infrastructure than other cities such as Montreal or Vancouver. According to Mikulec, it is therefore essential for shared cars to have their own charging station.
And this will be the case for Ritchot's cars, since the municipal parking lot has two charging stations. Joel Lemoine also points out that the municipality is in the process of testing and calculating the distance capacities of the vehicles, in order to provide future users with the best possible information.
We don't want people to be stuck in the middle of a road because of a lack of something.
A quote from Joel Lemoine, Ritchot city councillor
Ritchot, a leader for other municipalities
Eleven municipalities and one First Nation participated in the Éco-Ouest study that inspired the car-sharing project in Ritchot. The ambition of the organization and the municipality is to be able to extend the project to other municipalities, using the lessons learned from the experience of the RM of Ritchot.
It's great to see Ritchot taking the initiative to launch the whole thing, and then see how it can be fine-tuned to meet the needs of the whole region," enthuses Dany Robidoux.
The goal, if the fleet continues to grow, is to place these cars in collaboration with other neighboring municipalities.
A quote from Joel Lemoine, Ritchot municipal councillor
The project was made possible through collaboration with Éco-Ouest and CDEM. Through Eco-West, the Municipality of Ritchot received nearly $90,000 from Natural Resources Canada and the Province of Manitoba for its car-sharing project.
Eco-West has also applied to the federal government for funding to expand the service to six other municipalities, including Salaberry, Saint-Pierre-Jolys, Sainte-Anne, Piney and Stuartburn.
Source: ici.radio-canada.ca/
