carsharing
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Citroen's tiny EV concept is an alternative to bikes and scooters
Many automakers are designing vehicles for an era beyond car ownership, but Citroen is taking things one step further: it's envisioning a car that you'd use in place of bikes and scooters. Its newly introduced Ami One Concept is a compact (8.2ft long), all-electric "urban mobility object" that you'd use for short hops around downtown areas. The two-seater would have just a 62-mile range and a 28MPH top speed, but it would be easy to access and drive with a QR code on the handle replacing a key. You wouldn't even need a driver's license in some countries, Citroen said.
US regulators approve BMW-Daimler services merger
BMW and Daimler's plan to combine their transportation services, including car sharing, ride hailing and electric vehicle charging, is a step closer to reality after US antitrust officials approved the partnership. The companies hope to close the deal by January 31st, and plan to reveal more details of their joint venture by the end of March.
Lime launches its first car-sharing service in Seattle
It's true: after a long time focusing on scooters, Lime is ready to delve into four-wheeled transportation. The startup is launching a car-sharing service, LimePod, that will be available in Seattle as of this week. As with scooters, it'll cost just $1 to unlock a car that you can park wherever you need it -- the difference is that you'll pay 40 cents per minute (insurance included) instead of 15 cents per minute. Only 50 of the Fiat 500 cars will be available on launch, but there should be 500 by the end of 2018 and 1,500 by early 2019. That would make the largest park-anywhere offering in the US, Bloomberg said.
GM brings its peer-to-peer car-sharing service to 10 US cities
Earlier this year, GM unveiled a peer-to-peer car-sharing service, expanding its Maven platform to allow GM owners and qualified lessees to rent out their own vehicles. At the time, the company said the service was in beta in Chicago, Detroit and Ann Arbor, Michigan, but GM has now announced that it's bringing the peer-to-peer car-sharing service to 10 US cities in the coming months. By the end of the year, the service will be fully launched in Ann Arbor, Baltimore, Boston, Chicago, Denver, Detroit, Jersey City, Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington, DC.
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.
Volkswagen will offer an EV-sharing service in Berlin
In 2019, Volkswagen will launch an electric car-sharing in Berlin called "We Share" with 1,500 e-Golf vehicles, it announced. The service will expand afterwards with 500 e-up! cars, and eventually offer VW's next-gen I.D. EVs. "From 2020, 'We Share' is to support the market introduction of the new generation of our new, all-electric I.D. models and thus make a significant contribution to the Volkswagen brand's e-mobility offensive," said VW's Jürgen Stackmann.
GM's new car-sharing program allows owners to rent their vehicles
Earlier this year, there were rumors that GM was going to launch a car sharing service, allowing GM owners to rent out their personal vehicles to make some quick cash. Now, the company has confirmed it. GM is expanding Maven and will allow both owners and qualified lessees to rent out their vehicles.
Toyota is launching a car-sharing service in Hawaii
Automakers continue to invest in mobility just in case in the future, people don't buy as many vehicles as they do now. Toyota's the latest to take the plunge into the buzzword du jour with its new Hui car-sharing service launching in Honolulu.
VW and Renault promise electric car sharing services
Automaker-run EV sharing services are still novelties now, but they could be plentiful before long. Both Volkswagen and Renault have announced plans for electric car sharing services in a bid to promote "sustainable mobility." VW's We platform will offer on-demand EVs starting in Germany in 2019, and expanding to North America, Asia and other European cities "as early as" 2020. Renault, meanwhile, is prepping the gradual rollout of a similar service in Paris and the Ile-de-France region beginning in September 2018.
Volvo's new brand is devoted to app-based car services
Volvo is launching another spinoff brand, but this time it's not about convincing you to buy a car... in fact, it might wean you off ownership altogether. The Swedish automaker has unveiled M, a badge devoted to "rethinking traditional car ownership" with an "intuitive app." Details of what that involves are unsurprisingly vague. However, M is developing "proprietary learning technology" that gauges your specific needs instead of simply telling you where to pick up a car -- in other words, a smarter form of car sharing.
Car2Go's carsharing service expands to Chicago starting July 25th
Carsharing service Car2Go is coming to Chicago July 25th. Residents of the big city can register for free now, and new members will get a $15 credit for doing so. This brings the total number of cities that Car2Go is active in to 24.
Zipcar rolls out the UK's biggest zero-emission car-share fleet
The UK's Zipcar club is going green. This summer, the car-sharing company will begin adding Volkswagen e-Golfs to its London fleet, starting with 100 in July and totalling 325 by the end of the year. Other car clubs already have EVs on the roads in the capital, but the move will make Zipcar the biggest zero-emissions car-share program in the UK.
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.
BMW and Daimler will combine their transportation services
If it seems ridiculous that virtually every major car manufacturer has its own suite of transportation services, you're not alone. BMW and Daimler have announced a plan to combine their mobility services in a 50/50 joint venture. Car2Go and DriveNow/ReachNow will unite their car sharing efforts, for example, while ChargeNow and Digital Charging Solutions would team up on EV power. Ride hailing, parking are also part of the proposed union.
Lynk & Co's shareable cars launch outside of China in 2020
Volvo's sister brand Lynk & Co has made a fuss over its connected, shareable cars, but there's been a catch: they haven't been available outside of China. You might have a chance to buy one elsewhere, however. Alongside a peek at its new 02 crossover SUV (more on that in a bit), the fledgling auto badge has confirmed that it will start selling cars in Europe in 2020. As before, it's ditching conventional dealerships in favor of both its website and "Offline Stores" that are really boutiques. The first store will open in Amsterdam, with follow-ups due in Barcelona, Berlin, Brussels and London.
GM may test a carsharing program this summer
GM's Maven is basically the equivalent of a car rental service; for a fee, users can borrow a loaded GM vehicle for up to 28 days at a time. Now, it appears that GM may be looking to expand the service. According to Bloomberg, GM will operate pilot program this summer to test allowing GM users to rent out their personal vehicles through Maven. Annalisa Esposito Bluhm from Maven Communications, told us, ""At Maven, we are always considering new, innovative ways to make sharing easier. We have no plans to announce at this time," in regard to our carsharing inquiry.
Renault-Nissan and Didi plan self-driving ride service in China
Didi, the company that purchased the rights to Uber in China, plans to build an electric, autonomous ride-sharing service with Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi and other automakers. The two companies are currently in the exploration stages, but Renault said it will launch "robo-vehicle ride-hailing services" with Didi as part of its Alliance 2022 strategic plan.
Mercedes’ updated A-Class introduces individual car sharing
Usually an automaker's entry-level vehicle is where features initially dropped into the premium line trickle down. Mercedes has taken a different approach with the introduction of the new A-Class.
BMW takes full ownership of DriveNow's car sharing service (updated)
BMW has been synonymous with DriveNow's car sharing service for several years, and today it's cementing that commitmen. The German auto brand has taken full ownership of DriveNow by acquiring Sixt's stake in the company. This gives BMW "all options" for mobility services in the future -- it's free to take the tech-savvy rental platform in whichever direction it likes. For now, business will continue as usual with DriveNow acting as a BMW subsidiary.
Kia unveils its electric and autonomous future
Kia's showed off a new Niro EV along with its plans for an electrified and autonomous future (aka mobility). The electric concept shows that the company is thinking beyond gas and hybrid crossovers, but also showcases a new HMI (Human Machine Interface). It'll show up in showrooms in the later half of 2018.
