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Audi adds Q7 SUV to its Silvercar on-demand rental service
Audi is hoping to attract families and groups of travelers to its Silvercar service, through which you can reserve and unlock cars with your phone, by adding its Q7 to the fleet. You can now reserve the SUV in Denver, Fort Lauderdale, Los Angeles, Miami, Orlando, Phoenix and Salt Lake City for rentals starting February 15th. Audi says it will make the Q7 available at its other Silvercar locations from June.
Hertz is using biometrics to speed up car rentals
The next time you rent a car, you might need to show your face instead of your ID. Hertz announced today that it is teaming with security startup Clear to introduce Fast Lane, a biometric check for car rentals. The system -- which is the first of its kind for car rentals, according to the companies -- is currently operating at the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport and will be expanding to more than 40 Hertz locations over the course of 2019.
Cadillac pauses its $1,800-per-month car subscription service
Just one year after launching it, Cadillac is temporarily ending its expensive car subscription service, the Wall Street Journal reported. Book by Cadillac, which charged drivers $1,800 to be behind the wheel of one of the company's cars, will be paused started December 1st. Subscribers will have 30 days to turn in the vehicles they were renting through the service, meaning they'll have to find another ride pretty quickly.
Get Amazon gift cards just for renting a car from Avis
Avis just found a way to sweeten the deal for frequent travelers: give them breaks on their internet shopping. The firm now gives US car renters an Amazon gift card worth 10 percent of their rental price just for being an Amazon customer -- no, you don't even need Prime. The gift card doubles to 20 percent of the rental price if you book your vehicle through Avis' Alexa skill. If you're the jetsetting sort who needs rental cars on a regular basis, this could easily lead to a few Amazon freebies.
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.
Avis is testing a system that unlocks a rental car with your phone
Avis announced today that it has teamed up with Continental to bring keyless car rental to its customers, Roadshow reports. As part of a pilot program taking place in Kansas City, the company has equipped some of its cars with Continental's Key-as-a-Service technology, which allows users to lock, unlock and start their rentals with just a smartphone and the Avis app.
GM expands car rental service for gig economy workers
With Uber's money-losing car lease program apparently ending, GM is rushing in to fill the void with Maven Gig. The automaker announced that it's expanding from its current San Diego and San Francisco locations to other cities across the US. Starting today, you'll be able to rent vehicles like the Chevy Bolt EV and Cruze in Los Angeles, and by fall of 2017, grab one in Boston, Phoenix and Washington, DC. Baltimore and Detroit will follow soon after.
Audi's concierge-based car rental service is outstanding but pricey
Normally when I rent a car it involves a meandering line, a long counter and an associate who's almost always cordial and helpful but in a hurry. It feels impersonal. It's like going inside the bank to make a withdrawal. It's not a horrible experience, but there's an easier way to get to your money. For renting cars there's also a better way. And if you're an Audi fan and live in San Francisco, that way is actually quite superb -- if you can afford it.
Zipcar tests pay-per-mile pricing system for short trips
Zipcar currently charges per hour to rent a vehicle from its fleet for a short time. The company is also testing pay-per-mile pricing in a few US cities, but there's no indication as to whether or not the new structure will be widely available in the future. As The Verge explains, the pilot program is actually a combination of the two pricing methods. You can rent a Honda Fit in Chicago for $4.50 an hour during the week or $5.50 an hour on the weekends, both of which tack on an additional 50 cents per mile. With regular pricing, a Nissan Versa costs $10.75/hour on a weekday with a 180-mile allotment before extra fees kick in.
Uber hopes you'll rent a car to work as a driver
Uber is eager to get lots of drivers... so eager, in fact, that it's hoping to recruit drivers who don't even own a car. The ridesharing firm is partnering with Enterprise Rent-A-Car on a program that gives you a car rental, vehicle coverage and maintenance for $210 per week. Ostensibly, this gives you everything you need (outside of fuel) in one tidy package, and lets you taste life as an Uber driver when you either can't afford ownership or just don't want to jump in with both feet.
Zipcar CEO talks mobile app improvements, predicts connected vehicle future
We wondered why Zipcar CEO Scott Griffith was slated as a keynote presenter at CTIA's MobileCon -- after all, what does renting cars have to do with mobile? Apparently, quite a lot. Griffith stated in his keynote that Zipcar's app and mobile services have taken a much more central role in the organization. The company is developing its own in-car device holder so that customers can hook up their phones for hands-free functions, and more importantly, the Zipcar smartphone app is due for a major update. The current version can be used to schedule rentals and remote unlock vehicles, but future iterations will transform it into more of an "in-car assistant." It'll let you know more information about the car, help you around town with a personal recommendation service, stream your iTunes playlist, and detailed trip feedback like fuel-levels and car conditions will be far easier to report. Zipcar hopes to add new members through the app as well -- just take a photo of your driver's license and get an approval "in minutes." According to Griffith, the connected car will change our urban landscape, especially with the combination of services like Lyft, Uber, bike sharing, and public transit. It's not quite the flying car, but the nerd in us is sufficiently pleased.
BMW DriveNow EV car sharing comes to San Francisco Bay Area, ParkNow follows suit
BMW kicked off its DriveNow car sharing service in its home country last year to see if urban EV rentals would catch on. Something must have clicked in Germany, as the automaker is exporting the concept to the San Francisco Bay Area as of September. DriveNow's initial fleet of 70 ActiveE vehicles will rely on a different business model after getting its American visa: the service drops the strictly by-the-minute model of the German operation in favor of a $12 base fee for a half-hour's trip, with a 32 cents per minute rate kicking in only during longer drives. Travelers will have to drop off the cars at specified stations, too. There's a consolation for the trouble through a ParkNow reservation service, which locks in a parking space at a guaranteed rate and navigates there through an iPhone app or the web. Just be aware that those spaces will be limited -- only eight DriveNow stations and 14 ParkNow lots are active, which doesn't afford a lot of free roaming even after discounting the lack of immediate plans for other US cities. We're nonetheless glad that Bay Area locals without their own ride will have an easier time staying green for their cross-city jaunts.
Hertz charges into EV Plugless Power pilot program, can't say it three times fast
Hertz has been offering up electric vehicles amongst its fleet of rental cars, and now it's getting ready to pull the plug. The company is teaming with Evatran to test out the those cool little Plugless Power discs, installing some at its corporate headquarters this month. Hertz, along with a number of other companies will be logging "feedback on daily usage routines, user interfaces, and any additional functionality needed." No word on when such technology might see wider distribution.
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.
Hertz launches hourly EV rentals in London, self-satisfaction comes free
Contract-free cellphones, declining marriage rates and car-sharing services all tell us you're a bunch of commitmentphobes. Lucky for you the world is willing to oblige your wishy-washy ways, and for those who also happen to have a bit of a green streak, Connect by Hertz offers hourly rentals on electric cars. After launching its EV rental program here in New York last year, Hertz promised to expand to several other cities and countries by the end of 2011, with London being the next to go online this Friday. British urbanites averse to car ownership will be able to pick from a fleet of vehicles including the iMieV, Nissan LEAF and Renault Kangoo, range anxiety diminished thanks to the city's 16 charging stations. It's not exactly the Jetsons, but if this is the future of transportation, we're ok with that -- we're thinking Mother Earth is too.
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%
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.
