Austin-based Silvercar launched its operation on Jan. 14 at the Dallas/ Fort Worth International Airport (DFW). Silvercar offers renters a single make-model fleet of 200 silver Audi A4 vehicles.

Once through the airport terminal, Silvercar customers will board DFW’s shuttle service to the consolidated car rental facility. Silvercar customers won’t find check-in lines or traditional counters, but instead place reservations, select and unlock a vehicle via a QR code, and then receive their receipt through a smartphone user interface.

The company incorporated wireless connectivity from Texas Instruments (TI), fitted by Emmoco, including Bluetooth Smart technology and Stellaris ARM Cortex-M microcontroller, which connects traveler’s mobile devices to the in-vehicle interface.

Travelers will also be able to access the Internet with in-car Wi-Fi technology provided by T-Mobile. Wi-Fi, Google Earth GPS navigation, Sirius/XM satellite radio and a toll tag are included in Silvercar’s rates.

Silvercar will charge users the local pump price for fuel plus a $5 service fee.

The company said the daily rental rates are similar to those for full-size vehicles available from major car rental companies. In doing some test bookings, ARN found that daily rates range from around $75 to $115 per day, not including taxes and surcharges.

“We’re thrilled to launch the Silvercar experience with DFW as our flagship airport,” said Silvercar CEO Luke Schneider. “We anticipate that our unique model will resonate with the connected business travelers who frequent DFW. Our vision is to deliver a consistently better car rental experience, in a consistently better car, each and every time customers rent with Silvercar.”

Silvercar apps are available through the Apple App Store and Google Play Store for customers to reserve their vehicle directly from their smartphones.


Related news: Silvercar Raises $11.5 Million, Set to Start Airport Service in 2012

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