Hourcar
Hourcar is a Saint Paul-based nonprofit carsharing organization founded in 2005 that operates a fleet of roughly 260 shared vehicles across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area under the HOURCAR and Evie brands, serving individual members, income-eligible riders, students, and institutional organization accounts through app-based and RFID-enabled vehicle access.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2005
- HeadquartersSaint Paul, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2B and B2C
- OfferingServices
What Hourcar does
Hourcar (legally HOURCAR, doing business as HOURCAR & Evie) is a Minnesota-based nonprofit carsharing organization founded in 2005 and headquartered in Saint Paul, operating a fleet of approximately 260 shared vehicles across the Minneapolis-St. Paul (Twin Cities) metro area. The organization operates two distinct service models under sub-brands: HOURCAR, a hub-based round-trip service with gas and hybrid vehicles reserved and returned to fixed parking hubs, and Evie, the electric sub-brand split into Evie Carshare (free-float, one-way vehicle access within a defined Home Area) and Evie LOOP (hub-based EVs requiring return-to-hub). The technology stack is built around GPS-equipped vehicles, in-car video/audio safety monitoring, RFID access through Metro Transit's GoTo card system and ChargePoint charging stations, and a proprietary mobile application (Evie Carshare on iOS and Android) that handles reservation, trip start/pause/end, billing, and account management.
The revenue model combines individual subscription plans (Standard at $7/month, Student at $6/month, Access at $1/month for income-eligible members under 50% of Area Median Income, and a no-plan pay-as-you-go option), per-hour and per-mile trip-based usage charges, organization-membership B2B accounts with centralized monthly billing, and grant and foundation funding from federal agencies (DOE, NSF, EPA), corporate foundations (3M, McKnight), and municipal partners. Distribution is split between self-serve consumer sign-ups through the website and app, and a B2B organization-membership sales channel targeting employers, nonprofits, healthcare, education, and government entities. The customer base comprises individual residents seeking car access without ownership costs, students and educators, income-eligible members, and institutional accounts supporting distributed workforces, with reported cumulative totals of 671,305+ users and 13,793+ trips since 2005 serving as the primary scale metrics. Strategic institutional positioning is reinforced by partnerships with Xcel Energy, the Cities of Minneapolis and Saint Paul, MnDOT, the Metropolitan Council, American Lung Association, Rocky Mountain Institute, and Piper Sandler, with federal R&D and grant support supplementing earned revenue.
Hourcar firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Hourcar
- Legal name
- HOURCAR
- Website
- https://hourcar.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2005
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Hourcar is a Saint Paul-based nonprofit carsharing organization founded in 2005 that operates a fleet of roughly 260 shared vehicles across the Minneapolis-St. Paul metro area under the HOURCAR and Evie brands, serving individual members, income-eligible riders, students, and institutional organization accounts through app-based and RFID-enabled vehicle access.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Hourcar industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Shared Mobility Services
- NAICS
- Passenger Car Rental and Leasing (53211), Passenger Car Rental (532111)
- SIC
- Services-Auto Rental & Leasing (No Drivers) (7510)
- akta.pro primary industry
- EV Car Sharing (Round-Trip & Free-Floating) (THADANAB)
- akta.pro secondary industry
- Round-Trip Carsharing (Station-Based) (TLAFAMAA)
Keywords
Where Hourcar is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Saint Paul
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices2 records
Markets served
Hourcar business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2B and B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Operations, Supply Chain, Personnel, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure
Revenue model
- Individual Subscription Plans: Monthly subscription fees from individual members on Standard, Student, or Access plans. Plans provide discounted hourly and per-mile rates compared to no-plan option. Revenue is recurring monthly with auto-renewal.
- Per-Hour Usage Billing: Trip-based billing where members pay for time reserved plus miles driven. Hourly rates vary by membership plan. A day rate is automatically applied for longer trips (8.5+ hours) when it becomes cheaper than hourly billing.
- Per-Mile Charges: Mileage-based charges apply after included miles are exceeded. Paid plans include 200 miles per trip per day (600 miles for 3-day trips). No-plan option only includes 10 miles per trip.
- Organization Membership Billing: Centralized billing where organizations maintain payment method and are billed monthly for all driving and fees by approved drivers. Admin can assign drivers to specific cost centers.
- Drive Credits and Promotions: Credits earned for activities like charging EVs ($10 credit), filling gas ($6 credit for 5+ gallons), cleaning up messes ($2 kindness credit). Promotional codes provide percentage discounts on trips.
Pricing tiers
| Model | Billing | Price |
|---|---|---|
| Subscription | Monthly | Standard Plan - $7/month for discounted rates |
| Subscription | Monthly | Student Plan - $6/month for educational institution members |
| Subscription | Monthly | Access Plan - $1/month for income-eligible members |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | No Plan - No monthly cost, higher per-use rates |
| Usage-based | Pay-as-you-go | Starting at $10.40/hr for non-members |
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels5 records
Hourcar product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Hourcar operates a nonprofit carsharing network in Minnesota's Twin Cities with a fleet of approximately 260 vehicles. It provides three distinct services: HOURCAR (hub-based round-trip carshare with gas and hybrid vehicles), Evie Carshare (free-float electric vehicles accessible on demand via mobile app), and Evie LOOP (hub-based electric vehicles). Members reserve, unlock, and drive vehicles by the hour using a mobile app or RFID GoTo card, with usage billed by time and mileage on top of a monthly subscription.
Product overview
Hourcar is a nonprofit carsharing network operating in Minnesota's Twin Cities area with two distinct service types: HOURCAR (hub-based round-trip service with gas and hybrid vehicles) and Evie (free-float one-way service with all-electric vehicles). The Evie brand encompasses Evie Carshare (free-float electric vehicles returned anywhere in the Home Area) and Evie LOOP (hub-based electric vehicles requiring return to the same charging hub). Organization Membership is available as an administrative add-on for businesses and institutions. All services are managed through the Evie Carshare mobile app platform. The fleet of approximately 260 vehicles includes electric models (Chevy Bolt, Chevy Equinox, Nissan Leaf, Nissan Leaf Plus, Hyundai Kona) and gas/hybrid models (Honda Civic, Honda Fit, Hyundai Ioniq, Ford Ranger, Kia Soul, Mitsubishi Outlander Sport, Subaru Crosstrek, Subaru Impreza, Toyota Corolla, Toyota Prius).
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Brands
- Evie Loop: Hub-based electric vehicle carshare service - round-trip vehicles located at designated hubs around the Twin Cities.
- Evie Carshare
Quantifiable outcome
- Starting price of $10.40/hour for non-members
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Hourcar
Customer profileNamed customers8 records
Segments4 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Hourcar technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Integration4 records
Feature5 records
Hourcar partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.
- Xcel EnergycoreXcel Energy supports efforts to increase access to electric vehicles in underserved communities. Partnership focuses on EV adoption and clean transportation initiatives in the Twin Cities area.
- City of MinneapoliscoreMunicipal partnership supporting car sharing services within Minneapolis. City logo appears on HOURCAR website as supporting partner.
- City of Saint PaulcoreMunicipal partnership with Saint Paul for car sharing operations. EV Spot Network chargers available in Saint Paul. City logo appears on HOURCAR website as supporting partner.
- General MotorsminorVehicle supplier partner. Fleet includes Chevy Bolt, Chevy Equinox, and other GM vehicles.
- Metropolitan CouncilminorRegional planning agency that includes HOURCAR in its Regional Solicitation funding programs.
- Minnesota Department of TransportationminorState transportation agency partner supporting sustainable mobility initiatives.
- American Lung AssociationminorHealth advocacy partnership supporting clean air and lung health through reduced vehicle emissions.
- Rocky Mountain InstituteminorClean energy think tank partnership supporting sustainable transportation and electric vehicle adoption.
- East Metro StrongminorRegional economic development organization supporting workforce and mobility initiatives in the east metro area.
- US Environmental Protection AgencyminorFederal environmental agency supporting clean transportation and air quality initiatives.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights5 records
Hourcar competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- Turo: Turo operates the largest peer-to-peer carsharing marketplace in the US, allowing vehicle owners to rent to guests. While the ownership model differs, Turo directly competes with HOURCAR's Evie free-float and hub-based services for short-trip urban and regional travel demand in the Twin Cities market.
- Getaround: Getaround runs a peer-to-peer carsharing platform with hourly rentals and a Connect in-car technology for keyless access. It overlaps with HOURCAR's app-based reservation and keyless entry model and competes for the same car-free urban consumer segment.
- Zipcar: Zipcar is the largest carsharing operator in North America (owned by Avis Budget Group) offering round-trip station-based carsharing across universities, cities, and corporate campuses. It directly competes with HOURCAR's hub-based service model and similar B2B organization membership channel.
- Modo Cooperative: Modo is a cooperatively-owned carsharing service operating in the Pacific Northwest (Portland, Seattle, Vancouver BC). As a member-owned, mission-oriented operator, Modo is highly comparable to HOURCAR's nonprofit governance and B2B organization membership model.
Broad incumbents
- Sixt Share: Sixt Share is the carsharing product of Sixt, offering free-float and station-based services in European and select US markets. It competes with HOURCAR's app-based, per-minute/pricing model and serves a similar on-demand urban mobility use case.
- Enterprise CarShare: Enterprise CarShare is the carsharing arm of Enterprise Rent-A-Car, providing station-based vehicle access on university campuses and urban cores. It is a broad incumbent with overlapping offerings but not focused on EV-only or equity-focused pricing tiers like HOURCAR.
Others
- ChargePoint: ChargePoint is an EV charging network operator whose RFID cards HOURCAR distributes in vehicles for activating charging stations. As an infrastructure enabler for HOURCAR's EV fleet operations, ChargePoint is a strategic ecosystem partner rather than a competitor.
- Lyft: Lyft is a multimodal mobility platform offering ride-hailing, bike/scooter share, and Lyft Rentals (formerly partner with Getaround) for hourly carshare in select markets. While not a direct competitor, Lyft's multimodal strategy competes for the same urban car-light mobility consumer that HOURCAR serves.
Emerging players
- Free2Move: Free2Move (Stellantis) operates free-float carsharing in European and North American cities with EV fleets, including operations in Washington DC and Austin. It shares HOURCAR's free-float electric carshare model and competes for urban EV-curious riders in select markets.
Regional players
- BlueLA: BlueLA is a municipally-backed all-electric carsharing service in Los Angeles operated by Blink Mobility (formerly Bolloré). It is a regional EV-carshare peer that matches HOURCAR's mission-driven, EV-first model but operates in a different geographic market.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat5 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Hourcar social profiles
Digital presenceHourcar compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance2 records
Hourcar financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Hourcar leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles2 records
Hourcar funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Hourcar M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Hourcar
What does Hourcar do?
Hourcar operates a nonprofit carsharing network in Minnesota's Twin Cities with a fleet of approximately 260 vehicles. It provides three distinct services: HOURCAR (hub-based round-trip carshare with gas and hybrid vehicles), Evie Carshare (free-float electric vehicles accessible on demand via mobile app), and Evie LOOP (hub-based electric vehicles). Members reserve, unlock, and drive vehicles by the hour using a mobile app or RFID GoTo card, with usage billed by time and mileage on top of a monthly subscription.
Is Hourcar a public or private company?
Hourcar is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Hourcar founded?
Hourcar was founded in 2005. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Hourcar based?
Hourcar is headquartered in Saint Paul, United States, in the North America region.
How does Hourcar make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Individual Subscription Plans are the primary driver. The others are per-Hour Usage Billing, per-Mile Charges, organization Membership Billing and drive Credits and Promotions.
Who are Hourcar's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are Turo, Getaround, Zipcar and Modo Cooperative. Broad incumbents are Sixt Share and Enterprise CarShare. Others are ChargePoint and Lyft. Free2Move is listed as an emerging player. BlueLA is listed as a regional player.
Does Hourcar have an API?
No public API is recorded for Hourcar.
What industry is Hourcar in?
Hourcar's product category is Shared Mobility Services. Its primary akta.pro industry code is THADANAB, EV Car Sharing (Round-Trip & Free-Floating), with a secondary code of TLAFAMAA, Round-Trip Carsharing (Station-Based). Its NAICS code is 53211 and its SIC code is 7510.