Up to 30 electric vehicles could soon be available for hourly or daily rental in cities across Hudson and Bergen counties, under a new car-sharing initiative that its backers say could begin deployments within weeks. The plan comes from Envoy, a California-based provider of on-site electric vehicle car-sharing services, working alongside the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator, known as LACI. It marks the first time the two organizations have taken their car-sharing model outside California.
Envoy announced the New Jersey push on Monday, describing it as supported by an $8.5 million grant from the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, according to Envoy. That figure contrasts with an earlier release from the company last month, which described the same New Jersey effort as an $8.1 million grant-funded initiative, according to a statement carried by GlobeNewswire. Neither release explains the discrepancy, and it remains unclear whether the two figures describe different components of the same program.
LACI is the formal recipient of the grant, awarded through the state's DEP eMobility Grant Program, and has engaged Envoy to develop and operate the car-sharing services themselves, per the Envoy announcement. As ROI-NJ reports, the state's grant program funds electric shared-use transportation meant to connect residents to jobs, education, healthcare and other resources.
How the Shared EVs Would Work
Under the plan, residents in participating communities would be able to access shared EVs by the hour or day without taking on ongoing vehicle payments, insurance, or maintenance commitments, the company says. The vehicles are intended to be placed in neighborhoods where people already walk, bike, or rely on public transit, giving residents the flexibility of a car when they need one without the costs of ownership.
Envoy and LACI say they have identified and are evaluating multiple potential sites across the state, including both affordable housing communities and market-rate residential properties, though no specific municipalities or properties have been named. Property submissions for the New Jersey initiative close on December 15, 2026, with selected properties expected to move into contracting for final deployments in the spring of 2027, the Envoy release states.
Backers Point to New Jersey's Emissions Problem
Transportation is New Jersey's largest source of greenhouse gas emissions, accounting for 37 percent of the state's total, according to the North Jersey Transportation Planning Authority. The agency reported that New Jersey had just over 280,000 EVs on the road as of June, including more than 218,000 within its own 13-county region, though growth has slowed: about 5,500 new EVs were registered regionally in the first half of 2026, a 2.59 percent increase that the planning authority called the smallest percentage gain since it began tracking the data. Battery-electric vehicle registrations were down 45 percent compared with the same period a year earlier, per the same regional data.
Charging infrastructure also lags demand, the planning authority found, reporting 1,447 public Level 2 charging ports and 1,247 public DC fast-charging ports across the region, with an estimated 6,903 additional Level 2 ports needed to meet current demand. The authority calculated roughly 151 EVs for every public Level 2 port in the region, compared with a modeled state target of about one port per 26 EVs.
A Model Borrowed From Los Angeles
Envoy and LACI say they have previously deployed affordable EV mobility programs in disadvantaged California communities, and the New Jersey effort draws on that track record. One comparable program, the Rancho San Pedro Electric Car Share, launched at a 21-acre, 478-unit public housing site in San Pedro through a partnership between the Housing Authority of the City of Los Angeles, LACI and Envoy, according to HACLA. That program offered residents affordable hourly access to Nissan-provided EVs, including alternative payment methods for unbanked residents, the housing authority said.
A separate account from the Los Angeles Cleantech Incubator describes similar pilots in Pacoima and Rancho San Pedro. The Pacoima pilot ran two Nissan Leaf EVs with dedicated chargers and parking spaces. Both programs continued as independent operations after their pilot periods ended, LACI reported. Rancho San Pedro's operating expenses were fully covered by monthly revenue share, while Pacoima Beautiful planned to rely on accrued pilot revenue until it could secure another grant, according to the incubator's account. In Pacoima, residents could access the cars by the hour.
The New Jersey initiative is described as a key project within LACI's City Climate Innovation Challenge, a program the group says helps cities integrate emissions-reduction solutions tailored to their specific needs. LACI launched the second cohort of that broader challenge in April 2026 to pilot light-duty EV charging solutions across 16 U.S. cities.
What Comes Next
Envoy and LACI say they are continuing to vet additional locations to serve residents' transportation needs and are inviting New Jersey hotels, workplaces, and mobility investors to consider joining the program. With property submissions closing next month and contracting expected to follow in spring, the coming weeks are likely to bring more clarity on exactly where the first 30 shared EVs will land.
