EPA Awards car2go for Air Quality Improvement Efforts

Daimler’s car sharing program car2go was recently honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with the 2010 EPA Clean Air Excellence Award in the category of Transportation Efficiency Innovations. car2go will officially receive the environmental honor at the EPA’s Tenth Annual Clean Air Excellence Awards in Washington, D.C.

“Innovation and commitment are the keys to environmental progress, and our Clean Air Excellence Award winners are tremendous examples,” Gina McCarthy, EPA Assistant Administrator for Air and Radiation, said in a release. “As we look to the future, these winners will help lead the way toward cleaner air and a healthier environment.”

“We at car2go are honored to be recognized by the EPA with this great award,” said Nicholas Cole, President and CEO of car2go N.A. "car2go provides a transportation solution that is not only affordable and reliable, but makes significant progress toward addressing the challenges of urban growth and mobility by providing an environmentally friendly alternative to private vehicle ownership.”

“It complements public transportation by closing the gaps commonly associated with public transit commuting,” added Cole. “We look forward to continuing to work toward improving the quality of life in Austin and other rapidly growing cities with our solution to urban mobility.”

One significant difference from traditional car-sharing programs is that car2go offers cars on demand and the customers may use the vehicle for as long as they like, without committing to a specific return time. Furthermore, car2go allows users to make one way trips. Charges are not based on distance, but on time.