Denver Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency Office and Colorado Carshare Program
We spoke with Mike Salisbury, Transportation Energy Lead at the Denver Office of Climate Action, Sustainability and Resiliency (CASR) about Denver’s newest carshare program. Mike leads the City of Denver’s work with electric vehicles and also works on electrified mobility. On February 10, 2021, CASR announced they added seven electric carshare vehicles into six under-resourced communities. The carshare program, managed by non-profit Colorado Carshare, will aid up to 450 residents of these areas in accessing clean, safe transportation.
CASR aided Colorado Carshare in this partnership by getting funding sources on the ground, identifying the locations that most needed carshare use including charging stations and site hosts, and providing funding for outreach and discount components for income-qualified residents. This program used part of their $126.8 million in funding from the Coronavirus Aid, Relief and Economic Security (CARES) Act and sought to provide COVID-19 relief by providing an additional mobility option for those reluctant to take crowded public transit or ride-sharing programs.
This is not the first time CASR and Colorado Carshare have worked together. The first pilot program involved just one electric carshare vehicle in Denver’s La Alma Lincoln Park neighborhood in 2019. This vehicle was in Colorado Carshare’s top five frequently used EVs in their fleet, proving the need for mobility access in an underserved location, and creating the opportunity to expand this work. The current carshare program was launched at the end of 2020, so engagement and outreach are still undergoing. Mike hopes that this program will be as or more successful than the pilot and is enthusiastic about the opportunity to get more individuals into electric vehicles, as an owner of an EV himself.

Along with these seven new vehicles, there are charging stations available to carshare users, five of which were newly added and two of which are owned by the City of Denver and are free to use by the public. Users can choose to rent the vehicles by time limit or different rate plans based on expected usage throughout the week. Income-qualified residents can also sign up for subsidized Colorado Carshare memberships to access the vehicles in these locations:
- 2855 Tremont St, Denver Motor Vehicles Building, Five Points/Whittier Neighborhoods
- 330 24th Ave, Denver Housing Authority, Five Points Neighborhood
- 10th and Decatur, Denver Housing Authority, Sun Valley Neighborhood
- 1024 Navajo, Denver Housing Authority, La Alma Lincoln Park Neighborhood
- 2004 Chestnut Place, City lot, Union Station/Five Points Neighborhoods
- 1600 N Downing St, Urban Land Conservancy, City Park West Neighborhood
View this map to find vehicle and charging locations.
For more information on how to use these vehicles and how to participate in Colorado Carshare’s program, go to https://carshare.org/.
