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Car2go will shut down in North America by February 29th, 2020
Car sharing in the US is about to take another hit. Share Now is shutting down its Car2go service in North America by February 29th, 2020, with "fewer vehicles available" as that date approaches. The company was blunt about the reasoning in a statement: it didn't feel it was in a position to make the "level of investment necessary" to succeed in North America. High costs and the "volatile state" of mobility services worldwide were key problems, Share Now said.
Car2go will raise hourly rates by up to a third
Car2go just became slightly less viable as a replacement for owning a personal ride. The rental service has introduced a variable-rate pricing system that, for all intents and purposes, will raise prices for customers starting on September 9th. The base per-minute rate has dropped from 45 cents to 35 cents, but that's only at "times, locations and days" when there isn't much use. In practice, you'll pay up to 49 cents when it's busy. By-the-hour use, meanwhile, is unambiguously more expensive. Where a two-hour session used to cost a flat $29, you're now paying up to a third more ($40).
Car2go: 'Fraud' caused Chicago shutdown, not hacking
Car2go's rental service just suffered what appears to be a major incident. The company has temporarily suspended operations in Chicago after a "fraud issue" in the city. While Car2go didn't provide details (it told Engadget there was an "ongoing investigation"), sources for CBS' Brad Edwards claimed that up to 100 luxury cars had gone missing or were reported stolen, some of which had been used for crimes. Over 12 people were in police custody, Edwards 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 will reportedly test car-sharing service in Seattle
Bike- and scooter-sharing startup Lime is looking to test car rentals in Seattle, according to a report from The Information. Lime, which launched in early last year and operates in markets across 26 US states, has boasted that its scooters have taken cars off the road in cities where it operates. Now, it's reaching for a piece of the growing car-sharing market with a small host of around 500 cars made by Fiat Chrysler. There's no concrete date set for when Lime will begin offering the new service, but an application submitted to Seattle's car-sharing program in October indicates it could happen very soon.
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.
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.
Car2Go's carsharing service now offers Mercedes CLA sedans in NYC
If you're a Car2Go member living in New York City, you can show up to your next destination in style. Starting today, members of the car-sharing service in Brooklyn and Queens can rent 2018 Mercedes-Benz CLA four-dour sedans for 47 cents per minute (in comparison to 41 cents a minute for the standard Smart vehicles). Car2Go expects to add the crossover Mercedes GLA in 2018.
Alexa helps you reserve a ride with car2go's carsharing service
You can now order a car2go by commanding Alexa to find the nearest one and reserve it. The pay-by-time carsharing service is the latest automotive-related company to get a skill that integrates it with Amazon's voice assistant, following BMW and Nissan.
Car2Go adds luxury Mercedes models to its carsharing lineup
If you live in a big city, you've likely seen Car2Go's white and blue two-seater Smart cars zipping about. Unlike other car sharing services, you can rent one of the company's vehicles, take it for a spin, and then simply park it anywhere in its service area when you're done. While it's certainly convenient, it's not very useful if you need to haul around friends or a trunk full of shopping bags. That's changing today, as the company just announced that it's bringing full-sized Mercedes CLA sedans and GLA crossovers to seven cities.
BMW expands ReachNow car sharing service in Seattle
After its initial Seattle launch in April, BMW is ready to beef up its ReachNow car sharing service. According to GeekWire, the automaker saw some 13,000 members sign up to use its fleet of 370 i3s, 328xis and Mini Coopers in the first month. To deal with the increased demand, BMW is rolling out another 150 vehicles in even more neighborhoods.
Mercedes' newest mini car is one you'd actually want to drive
If you live in a metropolitan area like San Francisco, New York or Chicago, you understand the appeal of a tiny car. It's easier to swoop through traffic and it can be parked nearly anywhere. Smart says the Fortwo is the tiniest of the tiny cars available in the United States. The latest version of the Mercedes-Benz-built vehicle is still only 8.8 feet long, but it's gotten wider with more forgiving suspension. It's also filled with additional standard features making it feel more like a car and less like a compromise. To highlight the new diminutive driver's features, Smart set up a scavenger hunt in the retirement community for 30-year-olds: Portland, Oregon. If you're going to take a car meant to tackle an urban environment for a spin, it might as well be in a city with a road system that seems like it was laid out more as a practical joke than a way to get drivers from point A to point B.
Daimler is using EVs and ridesharing to teach teen drivers
The days of learning to drive in your family's ancient sedan might soon be over. Daimler is running a pilot program that teaches German teens to get around using electric versions of the Mercedes B-Class and Smart Fortwo. According to the company, an EV's smooth automatic transmission lets students focus on the traffic around them, not the basics of getting from A to B. They only move on to gas-powered cars when they're ready to master stick shifting.
Car2go brings North America's first all-electric carsharing program to San Diego
When we tried out car2go's carsharing program earlier this year, we knew it was only a matter of time before the service rolled out to other parts of the country. Little did we know, however, that it would be doing so atop a flotilla of EVs. Yesterday, the Daimler subsidiary announced that San Diego will be the next city to adopt car2go, making it the first in North America to boast a completely electric carsharing system. The program will kick off sometime before the end of this year, when 300 Smart Fortwo plug-ins storm the city, each powered by a 30 kW electric propulsion system and a lithium ion battery that promises to last for up to 84 miles on a single charge. Whenever the cars run out of juice, drivers will be able to recharge at any of the 1,000 Blink EV charging stations (due to be installed by the end of 2011), before heading off to windsail, buy white linen pants, or whatever people do under perennial sunshine. Curiosity piqued? Steer past the break for the full press release.
Car2go test drive: RFID, GPS, and mobile apps make for a smarter Smart
As you read this (assuming you're reading this sometime before March 20th) zillions of music, movie, and tech mavens and moguls have descended on Austin, Texas for SXSW. We made a run through the city just before festivities kicked off, stopping by to check out the Car2Go carsharing service that launched last summer and that, as of March 19th, will expand its coverage area to include 52 square miles worth of the heart of Texas. We took one of the company's customized Smart Fortwos for a ride and also test drove the new iPad app that makes finding cars as easy as pie. Pie, as it turns out, is also quite easy to find in Austin. %Gallery-119036%
