It’s not cheap, but users of the Turo car sharing service in Montreal who want to do more than kick the tires on an electric Porsche Taycan now have their chance

With two weeks left in June, Montreal users of the peer-to-peer car sharing platform Turo still have an opportunity to book time in an electric Porsche Taycan.

Through a partnership with Porsche Canada for the month of June, Turo says it hopes to give the high-end sports car maker an opportunity to reach a new group of potential buyers while diversifying Turo’s electric vehicle offering.

EV sharing is a market niche increasingly targeted by the San Francisco-based car sharing service, which first entered the Canadian market in 2016. Through the end of 2020, it reported having more than 1,000 zero-emission vehicles on its platform, including more than 200 Teslas in Canada alone.

“We’re seeing more and more people come to Turo to try an electric vehicle for the first time, and it really allows them to see how a specific car could fit into their daily life,” said Cedric Mathieu, vice-president and head of Turo Canada, in a press release.

Most Turo EVs are in B.C.

Turo works much like any peer-to-peer sharing platform. Member vehicle owners host their cars on the Turo website and Turo customers can rent them for specified periods. In the case of the Porsche partnership, bookings can be from one to 30 days, at a starting price of $365 per day.

In all, Turo operates in four provinces: Quebec, Ontario, Alberta and B.C. Its share of EV-owner membership is largest in B.C., at 13 per cent of total supply — probably not surprising given that B.C. has the largest per capita EV ownership in the country. Turo says EVs make up about 6 per cent of supply in Ontario and Quebec, with Alberta at 5 per cent.

The partnership with Porsche is being conducted under that company’s Porsche Drive subscription and rental program, which started in 2019, the same year it unveiled the Taycan. The car comes in three configurations: the Taycan 4S, the Taycan Turbo and the Taycan Turbo S. All three have an 800-volt charger and can charge to 80 per cent within 22.5 minutes. Their power ranges from 522 to 750 horsepower.

“We believe car sharing can be used as an adoption tool for electric vehicles in Canada, so we’re really excited to be able to showcase these incredible new vehicles to some of our guests,” said Mathieu.

The Taycan promotion is available for Turo members in Montreal 30 years old and older. Once a booking is approved, the car can be picked up on the designated date, or delivered, depending on what the owner offers.