Moving to Charlotte from Chicago, is car ownership truly non-negotiable?

I've never owned a car. In Chicago I never needed one. I'm taking a remote job and moving to Charlotte in September. I'm genuinely trying to understand: can I live car-free in Charlotte? I'm looking at Uptown or South End. I see the light rail on the map. Is it actually usable for day-to-day life, or am I romanticizing it?