Delmanor Communities is partnering with Kite Mobility to offer residents three Volvo XC40s as part of a new EV sharing program

A dozen “active retirees” living in the 242-unit Delmanor Aurora retirement community north of Toronto are pioneering a program that gives them exclusive shared use of three Volvo XC40 electric vehicles.

Delmanor Communities is owned by real estate developer Tridel and operates seven retirement complexes in the Greater Toronto Area. It launched the program in April in a partnership with electric rideshare provider Kite Mobility.

In a press release, Adam Fineman, Delmanor president and COO, said the program is about “redefining retirement living, empowering our residents to embrace cutting-edge technology while enjoying the freedom of safe and sustainable transportation.”

The shared EVs are available for local use by Delmanor Aurora residents who would otherwise use their own cars, taxis or a rideshare service, or community shuttle bus.

A better option

“When we proposed [this] to the residents, some were like, ‘Yeah, I use our bus at the property often, I use Uber, my kids are picking me up for longer things,’” says Nikki Lewis, Delmanor’s director of sales and marketing, in an interview with Electric Autonomy.

“Others said, ‘Why would I pay my car maintenance, my car insurance, parking spot cost? This is just a better option,'” she adds.

Lewis says Delmanor specifically opted for the Volvo EVs to make the transition easy for residents without EV experience.

“It is all electric. But for our population, it’s definitely a conventional feeling. It looks like a conventional car that our residents would be comfortable using,” says Lewis.

Along with the Volvo EV sharing, Delmanor also installed Level 2 chargers for this program’s exclusive use. Residents who want to use one of the vehicles book and schedule their access using Kite Mobility’s mobile app.

“The best part is, [when you’re finished] you hand in your keys to the concierge, we clean it, we get it ready, get it charged, and then the next person just books it out. It’s really just a turnkey car lifestyle,” says Lewis.

Further expansion possible

This partnership between Delmanor and  Kite Mobility builds on Tridel’s existing relationship with Kite. Currently, Kite offers EVs and electric bikes to residents at a Tridel condo in downtown Toronto. That sharing service is part of a V2G pilot program with SWTCH Energy.

That electric mobility sharing program is likely to grow further, according to Kite Mobility CEO Scott Macwilliam. “Kite continues to expand within the Tridel portfolio and with a growing number of partners developers in cities throughout Canada,” he says.

As for Delmanor specifically, Lewis says that while there are no concrete plans to expand the EV sharing service at other locations, “we’re definitely open to getting more cars if the demand is there.”

“Some of our buildings are already pre-wired for electric vehicles,” Lewis notes. “The door is always open for us to add this at many properties.”