The Laurel Apartments at The Mercantile Exchange is about to become the first apartment community to offer its residents a car-sharing program. The Laurel is partnering with WeCar by Enterprise Rent-A-Car to provide this service. Even more exciting is the announcement that the cars to be used by the program will be the new Chevy Volt extended range electric vehicles (EV). Registered members of the WeCar program will have hourly, daily, and overnight acces to the Chevy Volts and the ChargePoint charging station located downtown at 7th and Lucas, as well as preferential parking at The Laurel. The charging station was installed by loal smart energy firm Microgrid Energy and will be open to the public, as well as The Laurel residents.
By offering a car-sharing option that utilizes an EV, The Laurel Apartments is reinforcing its committment to sustainability. The Laurel is currently seeking LEED Silver designation for its residential building and can now join others, including Partnership for Downtown St. Louis and Citizens for Modern Transit, in local efforts to promote alternative transportation and reduce St. Louisans’ reliance on individual automobiles.