The California Air Resources Board (ARB) has offered $1.6 million to the city of Los Angeles to set up a pilot EV car-sharing program in disadvantaged communities. The program’s goal is to serve 7,000 residents.

The project will fulfill one of the mandates of the Charge Ahead California Initiative, a package of pro-electromobility measures enacted last year. Charge Ahead California directs ARB to take several steps aimed at making cleaner cars accessible to low-income citizens.

The funding was announced at an event in the MacArthur Park section of Los Angeles, one of the neighborhoods that will be served by the pilot project.

“Today, California leaders are making a clear statement: California’s innovation economy is for everyone, including economically hard-hit communities where clean technology investments mean more jobs and healthier communities,” said ChargePoint CEO Pasquale Romano. “Transitioning California’s 33,000,000 vehicles to zero-emission is a monumental challenge for our generation. We must be nimble and creative and listen to our communities, while harnessing both private and public investment. Working together, we can do this.”

Source: ChargePoint, Green Car Congress