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Illinois governor vetoes bill that would stifle car sharing
Illinois Governor Bruce Rauner has vetoed a bill that stood to damage peer-to-peer car sharing companies like Turo, GetAround and Maven. The bill was passed by the state legislature in May and would have applied the same state and local taxes big rental companies like Avis or Hertz have to pay to the individuals that rent out their vehicles on the car sharing platforms. Those include a five percent tax as well as local taxes of up to 20 percent. While the bill didn't initially include such stipulations, Ars Technica reports that industry lobbyists pushed for the changes late in the process.
Uber now offers car rentals inside its app
Uber has teamed up with peer-to-peer car-sharing service Getaround to launch a new product made for those who'd rather have the whole vehicle to themselves. The company's new offering is called Uber Rent, and it will give you a way to find, rent and unlock cars listed on Getaround's platform from within the Uber app. While you'll be able rent whatever vehicle you prefer by the hour or the day, whether it's an SUV/van for a whole family or a low-emission sedan for yourself, the feature will initially be available in San Francisco only.
Toyota has eyes on ZipCar-style vehicle leasing services
ZipCar-style car sharing services, where you pay to rent a vehicle by the hour, are already a thing across much of the US. But Toyota is looking into the idea of individuals being able to lease out their own cars on an hourly basis to make some extra cash. The manufacturer has teamed up with a startup called Getaround to begin a limited trial of the proposition at the start of next year. In order to make that work, however, the company has had to work out an easy way of enabling third parties to access your ride. That's where the Smart Key Box, or SKB, comes in.
The Liberty Trike is a 21st century Rascal
Tired of being shuttled about like a sack of potatoes by your current electric getaround? Want to at least pretend that you're getting a workout while scooting to the supermarket? Then you're going to want to take a magic tricycle ride aboard the Liberty Trike. This power-assist three-wheeler, which is currently in the midst of an already-funded Indiegogo campaign, will retail for roughly $2,000 when it's expected to hits the streets next October.
Ford wants customers to rent their cars to other people
Although Ford's main business is selling cars, it also operates a number of other services that help people do more with them. It's app-based GoDrive service already allows Brits to rent a car on a pay-as-you-go basis, but now it's experimenting with letting its US and UK customers rent their own vehicles out to other people and offset the money against their car payments. Today, it's inviting 12,000 Londoners and a further 14,000 US customers from Berkeley, Oakland, San Francisco, Portland, Chicago and Washington D.C. to join its new scheme.
Sound Off! What apps do you use to cash in on your car?
When you live in a crowded city, having a vehicle can sometimes feel more like a burden than a luxury. Finding parking, paying for insurance, dealing with the occasional fender bender – managing all of these things could drive even the most serene among us to the brink. But hey, it's 2014, so of course a handful of smart folks have come up with ways to make your car work for you instead: Lyft, Getaround and... what are we missing? Tell us in the Engadget forums! Or if you think it's better to ditch a car completely -- how would you go about selling it online? Sound off, people.
Switched On: Devices designed to disrupt
Each week Ross Rubin contributes Switched On, a column about consumer technology. Industry conferences that include competitions among scores of startups generally don't look too kindly upon companies producing hardware. Nonetheless, there were quite a few physical products shown off this week at TechCrunch Disrupt in New York. These were either the main offering of companies or complements to their service offering, and judging by their demo platform of choice, the iPhone appears to be a leading agent of disruption -- the companies introducing hardware used Apple's handset to do everything from avoiding stress to measuring its biological impact. Switched On will introduce four such products after the break.
Getaround car sharing service goes live, rent out your ride with an iPhone app and car kit
We expressed our excitement when we first heard about Getaround, the personal car rental service that enables users to rent out their autos by the hour or day, and at TechCrunch Disrupt the service has officially gone live for drivers outside the Bay Area. The company also announced an accompanying car kit that allows potential renters to unlock their temporary ride using just an iPhone app, at which point they can access a physical key inside. The company says it functions just like any other keyless entry device, and can be set up in as little as five minutes. Worrisome owners should also know that when you offer up your ride you get full insurance coverage from the Getaround folks, so all liabilities are transferred to the individual behind the wheel. Renters get rated by car owners so there's definitely an incentive to keep things neat and tidy, though we'd totally get downrated for neglecting to return the seat to its original position. Be sure to check out the demo video at the via link, you'll wish you thought of this yourself.
Getaround app takes car sharing peer-to-peer on the iPhone
Getaround is a brand new app launching today on the App Store that is designed to be a "peer-to-peer car rental marketplace." The idea is that it's like a Zipcar sort of service, but run peer-to-peer style, so anyone can rent their cars for just a few bucks an hour. If you need a car for a limited amount of time, you can load up the app, do a quick search in your area, and then find a car and an owner renting it just long enough to take a trip to the grocery store or pick up a piece of furniture. And if you want to be an owner, you can sign up with the service online, and Getaround will cover the insurance after an eligibility screening, and even provides a special carkit that lets users unlock and lock their cars straight through the iPhone app (just like the official Zipcar app). It seems like a great service, both for people who want to make a few bucks renting cars, and for current car sharing users looking for a cheaper or closer service than they're currently using. If you live in an urban area and could make use of a shared car, give it a look.
Getaround app turns you into Enterprise, lets you rent out your dormant whip
Oh, sure -- you're making much use of that Zipcar app already, but what if the tables were turned somewhat? For suburbanites with two cars in the garage (one of which is collecting major dust), Getaround's mobile app allows you to be Zipcar. Put simply, those with a spare vehicle (or a vehicle that routinely stays parked for certain blocks of time each day) can load their vehicle, location, schedule and price into the app, and then nearby Earthlings can poke around and see what's on offer. If they're interested in taking your ride for a spin, they can hit you up via the app and agree on how many hours / days / weeks they'll be needing it. In essence, you're looking at peer-to-peer car sharing, with Getaround snagging 30 percent of the rental rate; speaking of rate, that can range between $4 and $25 per hour, with the owner setting the price. Those based in San Francisco can tap into the source link to become involved in the beta, and don't be shocked if you see a Tesla Roadster listed for $25/hour -- that's actually one of Getaround's first customers, and you can rest assured that red beauty will be calling your name this weekend.
