Electric mobility should exist for everyone, says Kristian Russell, Chief Executive Officer and Founder of Ferry.
“Upgrading your car with Ferry is as easy as upgrading your
phone,” Russell said. “With a tap of the
button, your all-new EV is delivered right to your door.”
Ferry, based in Austin, seeks to put more drivers in electric vehicles through its app-based model that allows consumers to lease an electric vehicle at various price points, for lease periods of 6 to 24 months. For example, the Polestar 2 EV, with a price tag of $38,400, can be leased through Ferry for $899 a month.
Ferry, founded in July, is launching soon as a mobile-first, short-term electric vehicle leasing company, Russell said. Mayra Del Bello, former head of marketing at LiveOak Venture Partners, recently joined Ferry as its director of marketing. The Ferry team had a booth at the MOVE America conference at the Palmer Events on Tuesday and Wednesday. The conference shined a spotlight on all the innovation going on locally, nationally, and globally on smart mobility including autonomous vehicles, electric fleet, and bus vehicles, and EVs for consumers as well as micro-mobility solutions such as electric bikes and scooters.
Ferry’s app lets customers browse, qualify for, reserve, and go into contract on all-new EVs, he said.
To lease a vehicle, customers provide a driver’s license and must undergo a credit check and they also need a bank account or a credit card. The subscription includes the car, the charger, and 1,000 miles a month, as well as vehicle tax, title, and registration, and access to roadside assistance.
The big idea is to make EV ownership more equitable and
accessible to greater numbers of people, Russell said. And with more EVs on the
road, the impact on the environment of carbon emissions is greatly reduced.
That creates a cleaner, better mobility solution for everyone, he said.
Ferry is also working on a deal with Austin Energy to provide
discounts to its employees to lease EVs through its service, Russell said.
There currently are state and local incentives for EV vehicle
owners. The state of Texas’ light-duty motor vehicle purchase or lease
incentive program provides drivers with rebates of up to $2,500. In addition,
Austin Energy’s rebates for EV charging includes special rates on plug-in
locations and rebates for installing a level 240-volt charger
As of 2020, nearly 1.8 million EVs were registered in the U.S., which has more than doubled in recent years, according to the International Energy Agency.
About 7 percent of all adults in the U.S. said they currently have an electric or hybrid vehicle, and 39 percent said they were very or somewhat likely to seriously consider buying an electric vehicle for their next car purchase, according to a recent Pew Research Center survey.
