While Russell Rankin, now of eCruisers LLC but then a general contractor, was working construction he said he had plenty of time to solve the world’s problems – many times over.
“The work was manual and repetitive, which gave everyone plenty of time to think. We kept throwing ideas around,” he said.
What had sparked his imagination this time was an electric car, maybe a glorified golf cart might be a better way to describe it – though the manufacturer would probably prefer they be called by the model number: GEM e6.
“When I saw the cars I said ‘Man, that’s the coolest thing I’ve ever seen. I’ve got an idea,’” and from there the construction conversation took on an entirely new tone. His previous experience in contracting meant he knew how to draw up a business plan and develop an estimate.
“Five years later I’m hitting my projections. It took me a little longer to get here than I originally thought but I’m here now and we’re continuing to build,” he said.
What he’s built is probably the largest fleet of street legal and multipurpose 100% electric cars in the country, and he got his start in Annapolis. Though he first pitched the idea to Ocean City, he couldn’t win the approval of the Town Council so he brought his idea here to Annapolis and flourished.
The versatility of the units is the driving force behind the business, not necessarily the potential environmental benefits.
Most internal combustion engine powered devices produce upwards of 80% of their emissions between 0-20 m.p.h. Rankin said, and most people who have used a push lawnmower might find it hard to dispute that assertion. Once a vehicle or other device hits that magic 20 m.p.h. the emissions fall off.
But Rankin’s fleet eliminates that completely. His vehicles, besides not using gas, produce zero emissions and usually don’t get north of 20 m.p.h. anyway.
But that’s not the only advantage – they can also be used indoors.
“What we do in Annapolis every day isn’t what we do. The reason we do what we do in Annapolis is because of Annapolis,” he explained.
Because the vehicles produce no emissions, are street legal but can also be used indoors they are perfect for shuttling people around large convention centers and meeting halls that have sprung up so frequently in the past 20 years.
In nine states and soon to be more, Rankin’s little eCruisers are zipping around moving everyone from point A to point B. There are no doors or complicated settings – it’s a pop in and pop out arrangement.
And the rides are free, but how they become free is the special part.
Rankin recently worked an AARP convention in what he described as a “huge hall.” The convention managers set up a carpet – a road essentially — for the eCruisers.
“They may have even had stripes down the middle. I can’t recall right now if they did,” he wondered.
So there’s an enormous meeting space, AARP members and convention booths. The eCrusiers were a godsend for some of the AARP members because of the potential for mobility issues.
“We interacted with more people than any static booth,” he said.
Russell Rankin sold sponsorships. That is how the rides came to be free.
In another recent convention Russell said Google didn’t even sponsor a booth – they just sponsored the eCruisers.
“I ship these things all over the place. No one else has the fleet size,” he said.
The free model has certainly gained traction in the past few years — software, newspapers and magazines, websites – all sorts of media are trying to move to this model or integrate it into existing business practices but this could be the first time it’s been applied to transportation.
There are certain caveats though – the eCruisers are absolutely not a taxi service. Their range can be limited and they are able to go to lots of different places, but they can’t go everywhere.
Rankin admits he’s had to field a few phone calls from people who have trouble with the concept, but at the end of the day you can’t always be everything to everyone. Fortunately for him it’s a function of volume.
“The busier the town is the tighter to the concept we hold – we have to. We bounce around everywhere all day on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday but during the weekends we have to pull back,” he said.
The concept started as a directed fluke at the United States Yacht Inc.’s Powerboat show about 5 years ago. Rankin was driving his electric car around ferrying people when he noticed a real estate agent distributing his own fliers. The two struck up a conversation and before long, a contract was signed. The next day according to Rankin, a rival real estate company wanted to buy advertising on his car. From there he was off and running. Apparently he started running right to the Naval Academy stadium. After a security guard waved him in, despite Rankin saying he knew his car technically shouldn’t be inside the lot, he eventually found himself politely conversing with stadium staff on how to extricate himself from the crowd of people either wanting a look or wanting a ride. Upper management of the Naval Academy stadium took notice, called a meeting and a deal was born.
“I think all of the Fortune 500 companies have some kind of tie to the Naval Academy. These guys all attend reunions and come back for homecoming. I had members of the class of 1945 in my car last weekend – how cool is that?” he asked.
It’s all networking and it’s all Annapolis, but there might not be a town anywhere that couldn’t derive some sort of benefit from the eCruisers.
“I’m very happy where I am and that I’m in Annapolis, but my service isn’t unique to Annapolis,” Rankin said. He’s been proven true by servicing Massachusetts, California and hopefully Louisiana soon.
Rankin may not have solved the world’s problems but he’s certainly made progress on a few. By limiting emissions, providing a neat service people really enjoy and augmenting existing public transportation systems Rankin has carved out a niche without a whole lot of competition yet. The good progress he’s making now will ensure he has room to maneuver in the future he’s helping to create.
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