EmGo Vehicles Unveiled & Set to Launch Aug. 23
Email: pat@voxprpa.com
Or Pat.Walsh@LTD.org
Phone: 541-513-1236
Lane Transit District (LTD) in partnership with the City of Eugene, Lane County, Lane Council of Governments (LCOG), and RideZero have unveiled the latest addition to the LTD fleet and have announced a new downtown mobility-on-demand service beginning Aug. 23, the first day of MarketFest at the 5th Street Public Market.
The EmGo is a five passenger, all-electric powered vehicle that will pick up and deliver riders from one of more than 70 pick-up locations scattered throughout downtown Eugene from Charnelton Street to High Street and from 5th to 13th streets.There is an additional stop in the courthouse district.
“EmGo keeps fossil-fuel vehicles parked and people on the move downtown to get to work, meetings, lunch, or shopping,” said Aurora Jackson, LTD’s general manager. “Wherever you can go downtown during the work day, can now be accessed by using the EmGo app and then riding in an electric vehicle to get you there and back.”
Riders can schedule EmGo by using a mobile app. One of five EmGo vehicles will pick the rider up at the closest downtown EmGo stop and will deliver them to any of the more than 70 downtown locations. The app can be downloaded by searching for Transloc or go to LTD.org/EmGo for an app. link.
”We’re excited about EmGo and how it could transform how we get to work, stores and restaurants in downtown,” said Jon Ruiz, Eugene city manager. “More electric vehicles on the road helps cut carbon emissions and gets us closer to our Climate Recovery Ordinance goals. EmGo also helps us further our downtown parking and mobility strategy to address parking and transportation needs in and around the downtown core.”
Built by Polaris, the EmGo is powered by a 48V AC battery. EmGo can travel nearly 70 miles before needing a battery recharge. With a GVWR of 3,000 pounds, the EmGo’s top speed is 25 MPH. At approximately $40,000 each, the four EmGo electric vehicles were purchased with Statewide Transportation Improvements Funds (STIF) from the state of Oregon. One EmGo vehicle is set-up for riders who use mobility devices, and a fifth vehicle is owned by RideZero, a local service provider that will operate the service.
In addition to STIF money from the State of Oregon, the City of Eugene, Lane County, and Lane Council of Governments have each invested additional financial resources to partner with LTD to offer the free EmGo pilot service for one year.
“We have seen a growing strain on parking in downtown Eugene for employees and visitors alike,” said Lane County Administrator Steve Mokrohisky. “The EmGo pilot is a unique and exciting opportunity to test a welcoming, green, on-demand service that encourages people to explore downtown.”
The partners’ goal for EmGo is to help ease parking and traffic congestion to improve livability and workability in downtown while also supporting local businesses throughout the immediate area.
“We are very excited to be a partner in this project to move people throughout the downtown Eugene core,” Brenda Wilson, LCOG’s executive director. “We look forward to helping bring an additional fun, electric-powered option to our multimodal network.”
EmGo is free for users and will operate Monday through Friday from 7:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.
“LTD is pleased to partner with the City of Eugene, Lane County, Lane Council of Governments and RideZero to offer another way to reduce our community’s carbon foot print, while providing convenient downtown transportation,” Jackson said. “The partners will evaluate the EmGo pilot program in the summer of 2020 to determine its viability as a permanent downtown Eugene mobility option.”
For more information about EmGo, go to www.LTD.org/EmGo