Eight electric cars including Hyundai IONIQ 5 EVs are expected to be available in a new carsharing program in Watsonville. (Míocar)
WATSONVILLE >> The Watsonville City Council on Tuesday approved a two-year agreement with nonprofit Míocar to bring electric car sharing to the city.
Five cars are expected across three city-owned parking lots initially, and three more cars are expected in other locations. The Watsonville City Council approved the pilot program at its Tuesday night meeting.
“We are working on confirming the rest of the sites in Watsonville, so the deployment will be in phases,” said Rachel Heckl, Míocar’s director of strategic expansion and special projects. “This city partnership is critical and a great boost to moving the project forward.”
It is expected that all eight cars will be available for carsharing by the end of the year, a company representative said.
Founded in 2019, Visalia-based Míocar has carshare programs in the city of Richmond and Tulare, Kern and San Joaquin counties.
Money for the pilot will come from a $7.2 million state grant that city staff secured in partnership with Santa Cruz-based nonprofit Ecology Action. An aim is to “to increase Watsonville’s access to active and zero-emission transport” by installing new electric carshare, bikeshare and bike infrastructure in the city, Watsonville Environmental Project Manager Toto Vu-Duc wrote in a city staff report.
The carshare is the first of these additions, which together have been called ¡Adelante Watsonville!
The program will launch in the coming months with a trial of two free cars for pre-selected community participants, after which the full program will be opened to the public at $4 per hour or $35 per day.
Bilingual services are “designed to break down barriers to EVs, especially in Spanish-speaking communities” Vu-Duc wrote.
The cars have a preset range of 150 miles, after which each mile will be charged at 35 cents in addition to the base rate. The max reservation time is one day, said Míocar representative Alberto Rodriguez-Pepe.
The cars are expected to be available at city parking lots at:
- Watsonville Municipal Airport, 100 Aviation Way will have two parking spaces.
- Watsonville City Hall, 250 Main St. will have two parking spaces.
- Romo Park, 335 Main St. will have one parking space.
Carshare programs “deliver environmental benefits by providing vehicle access without ownership, which can reduce the number of private cars and complement active and public transportation modes,” Vu-Duc wrote. The program implements a measure of the city’s Climate Action and Adaptation Plan, staff wrote.
Míocar staff are expected to ensure that vehicles are fully charged when booked. Upon expiration in May 2027, the agreement could be renewed annually.
A parking lot at Watsonville Municipal Airport will have two Míocars. (City of Watsonville)
A parking lot at Watsonville City Hall at 250 Main St. will have two Míocars. (City of Watsonville)
One car share parking spot is expected at Romo Park near Watsonville City Plaza. (City of Watsonville)
Correction: Two captions were updated in this story with the number of cars expected at city hall and the airport.
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Tyler Maldonado holds a degree in English from the University of California, Berkeley. He writes about housing, homelessness and the environment. He lives in Santa Cruz County.
