I-GO News
Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
I-GO, Chicago’s own car sharing organization, celebrates its 10th anniversary this year! Initially just a small pilot program funded by the City of Chicago and the US Department of Transportation, I-GO now serves more than 15,000 members. Vehicles are available in over 40 diverse neighborhoods throughout the city, as well as five suburbs, making it easy for residents throughout the region to enjoy the benefits of car-sharing.
In conjunction with this momentous anniversary, I-GO will host a panel discussion, “I-GO at 10: Where Do We Go From Here? The Future of Multimodal Transportation,” on Wednesday, July 11 at the Union League Club of Chicago. The panel will feature Gabe Klein, Commissioner at the Chicago Department of Transportation (CDOT); Timothy Papandreou, Deputy Director of Transportation Planning in the Sustainable Streets Division of the San Francisco Municipal Transit Agency (SFMTA); and Sharon Feigon, CEO of I-GO CarSharing. I-GO Board Chair and sustainability expert Julia Parzen will moderate the event. Each panelist will give a short presentation outlining their vision for the evolution of urban transportation both within the Chicago region and throughout the country. Read more »
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Tuesday, January 10th, 2012
A new incentive will provide $50 in transit credit for people who get the Chicago Card Plus I-GO card before Feb. 29.
Between now and February 29, people who sign up for a joint Chicago Card Plus I-GO card for use on the CTA and in I-GO Car Sharing vehicles will receive $50 in transit credit and a heavily discounted I-GO membership. The Chicago Card Plus I-GO card is the only one of its kind in the nation, allowing a seamless transfer between public transit and a car sharing vehicle.
Participants can enroll at http://tinyurl.com/ye6flbe ››
“If you’ve been thinking about ditching your car and simplifying your life with transit and car sharing, there’s never been a better time to make the leap,” said Kathryn Tholin, director of Center for Neighborhood Technology (CNT), which is administering the incentive program on behalf of Cook County. “Owning a car is expensive, a hassle, and can have a large carbon footprint. Using integrated transit and car sharing instead of owning a car is good for people’s budgets, stress levels, and the environment.” Read more »
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Wednesday, December 14th, 2011
The Chicago Transit Authority (CTA) has approved the installation of an I-GO Car Sharing solar-powered charging station for two electric vehicles at the park and ride lot adjacent to the Brown Line Kimball El station. This is the first solar-powered charging station announced on CTA property.
I-GO recently announced its groundbreaking electric vehicle project that will add 36 all-electric vehicles to its fleet and 18 solar charging stations to provide clean power to its cars. Once completed, I-GO will have the largest electric vehicle fleet in the Midwest, and it will use more solar power to charge electric vehicles than anywhere else in the country.
“CTA has long supported initiatives that reduce emissions and promote sustainability—two main goals of the transit services we offer,” said CTA President Forrest Claypool. “Car sharing is a great complement to public transit.” Read more »
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Wednesday, November 30th, 2011
I-GO, Chicago’s nonprofit car sharing organization, has launched a $2.5 million electric vehicle project that will add 36 all-electric vehicles to its fleet and 18 solar charging stations providing clean power to its cars. Once completed, I-GO will have the largest electric vehicle fleet in the Midwest, and it will use more solar power to charge electric vehicles than anywhere else in the country.
I-GO is today announcing the locations of 11 solar-powered charging stations throughout the Chicago region, including several JEWEL-OSCO stores, the Illinois Institute of Technology, the Village of Oak Park, the City of Evanston, and Uncommon Ground restaurant. The remaining seven locations will be announced soon. The canopies will be installed in early 2012.
Read more »
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Monday, October 24th, 2011
This joint CTA/I-GO smart card is the only one in North America that provides access to public transit and car sharing vehicles.
“I-GO sees itself as a form of public transportation that provides the last mile solution for the CTA.” That’s the good word from reporter John Skelly, Jr., writing about I-GO’s partnership with the CTA for Northwestern University’s Medill Reports.
The article describes the motivating factors behind the 2008 development of the Chicago Card Plus/I-GO Card, a joint smartcard offered by I-GO Car Sharing that lets its members access both I-GO vehicles and CTA trains and buses. There are about 1,800 cards in circulation. The result: cost savings across transportation modes and a progressive re-thinking of how public transit can fit within a mixture of services to better meet the needs of a metropolitan population.
Read more »
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Friday, July 8th, 2011
Governor Quinn signs two electric vehicle bills as I-GO CEO, Sharon Feigon, and EV project manager, Jonathan Goldman, look on.
Gov. Patrick Quinn signed two bills over the weekend that will foster the use of electric vehicles (EVs) in Illinois. CNT’s affiliate, I-GO Car Sharing, has been instrumental in promoting EV deployment and advocating for passage of the two bills. I-GO CEO Sharon Feigon spoke at the bill signing.
Later this year I-GO will install 18 solar canopy charging stations to power its 36 electric vehicles with emissions-free electricity. Sign up for I-GO to be one of the first in the city to drive an EV. Be sure to follow I-GO on Twitter to stay up to date on the exciting EV project developments. Read more »
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Friday, February 11th, 2011
Last summer, I-GO Car Sharing tested the i-Miev and added a charging station at our headquarters.
The Chicago Tribune’s Julie Wernau recently covered the city’s near-term plan to bring electric vehicles (EV) and infrastructure to Chicagoans. CNT’s I-GO Car Sharing has been working hand in glove with city government to bring the initiative to fruition. I-GO will have 36 electric charging stations dedicated to its car sharing vehicles, and this spring I-GO is taking the green EV project a step further by installing solar canopies at 15 stations so its electric fleet will run on clean solar power. Read more »
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Wednesday, April 8th, 2009
(From I-GO’s Motormouth blog)
Ever wonder what it’d be like to drive a car that gets 100 miles to the gallon? You don’t have to wait until 2015, the deadline President Barack Obama set in his New Energy For America plan to put one million plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs) on the road. Thanks to generous support from ComEd, I-GO just added two plug-in hybrids to its fleet. On a fully charged battery, these cars are capable of achieving fuel economy in excess of 100 mpg and reducing CO2 emissions by up to two-thirds over the standard Prius.
The cars—converted 2009 Toyota Priuses—are located in the Millennium Park north garage at 201 E. Randolph Dr., and at 900 S. Clark St. in the AMLI 900 residential tower’s garage.
Read more about I-GO’s new plug-in electric vehicles >>
Addition: On April 21, Illinois Governor Pat Quinn, will join I-GO and ComEd at the Thompson Center to unveil the two new plug-in electric hybrid vehicles. Read more in the Press Release.
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