As our cities begin to transform with the development of 'urban villages' and increasing infrastructure such as Sydney's new Metro, an emerging electric vehicle car sharing trend is putting the brakes on car ownership by filling in mobility gaps.

Buyers are increasingly looking for sustainability features in new building projects, with the 2023 Property Seeker survey finding 79% of buyers highlighted sustainable property features as either critical or important.

Increasingly, we are seeing developers include the likes of solar, water harvesting systems, comprehensive reuse systems and passive design features such as cross ventilation in their projects.

An additional way developers are obliging sustainability concerns is through providing residents access to shared EVs.

The move is a plus for both developer and resident – it reduces the need for extensive underground car park construction, the most costly to build, and shared EVs overcome buyer challenges such as the high initial purchase cost of apartments with a dedicated car space.

Shared vehicle amenity is a growing trend in developments.

---

Top Spring Australia development director John Chagaris said the move, which has been implemented in their The Newlands development in Sydney's St Leonards, will steer communities away from reliance on cars and free up household budgets for other lifestyle investments.

“It’s a significant value-add for residents, especially at a time when household budgets are already being squeezed by increased cost of living expenses.”

While the amenity is growing in popularity in developments across Australia, such as Brisbane's Koichi Takada-designed Urban Forest, it's especially helpful in expensive cities like Sydney.

Related: Sydney's best off-the-plan apartments transforming the city

Data released by the Australian Automobile Association (AAA) in March 2024 shows the average cost of owning and operating a car in Sydney has soared to $470 per week or $24,440 a year, which can equate to more than 16% of household income.

“Sydney is the most expensive city in Australia to own a car, and car parks add to the overall costs of an apartment,” Mr Chagaris said.

Emphasising 'access over ownership', these sharing models offered by apartment and masterplanned developments offer a flexible and economically viable alternative to traditional car ownership. Eliminating the burden of hefty upfront investment and anxiety around ongoing maintenance, this trend aligns with the growing preferences of a cost-conscious and environmentally aware society.

Related: 9,000 new homes: Will Australia’s 'largest ever' DA get the green light?

Outbound is one company partnering with developers to provide Teslas as a shared amenity, with CEO Luke Rust seeing the trend taking hold in Sydney, as well as Melbourne and the Gold Coast.

“The ‘mobility amenity’ concept is very much catching on in Sydney. People are starting to realise that it’s simply not necessary to own a car anymore – if you don't do a lot of driving, it’s far more convenient, and cheaper, to jump in an ‘on demand’ EV that’s based at your residential community," Mr Rust said.

“It’s all facilitated through a dedicated app, much like Uber, but you do the driving. You simply reserve and unlock the vehicle with your phone, and away you go."

Rust is currently partnered with Sydney developments including The Newlands in St Leonards, AURA by Aqualand in North Sydney and Chateau Showground in Castle Hill to provide EVs as part of shared resident amenity. Low-rise boutique development Delano in Crows Nest is another project offering a shared EV to residents.

Looking for new off-the-plan properties in your area? Check out our dedicated New Homes section.