Indianapolis City Council Questions BlueIndy Safety

Indianapolis City Council members are concerned about the safety of BlueIndy’s electric rental cars, according to a report by the Indy Star. The all-electric fleet will use Bluecars, an electric vehicle manufactured by French conglomerate Bollore Group.

Two city council members have requested that Bollore Group provide evidence that the Bluecars will meet U.S. safety standards, according to the report.

"These cars were designed to meet European standards, but I want to know if they have passed U.S. safety inspections," Zach Adamson, chairman of the Department of Public Works Committee, told the Indy Star.

The four-seat, three-door electrical vehicles will make up BlueIndy’s fleet of at least 500 cars at 200 locations across the city of Indianapolis, according to the report.

The current models don’t have passenger-side airbags and their bumpers are smaller than required by U.S. vehicle standards, says the report.

"When we go into commercial use, those will be U.S. models," Herve Muller, president of BlueIndy, told the Star. "They'll have the additional airbags and a bumper that is a little bigger than required in the European models and some other modifications."

Bollore has run a carsharing program in Paris since 2011 and recently opened one in London. BlueIndy will be Bollore’s first electric carsharing program in the United States.

Up to 200 parking/charging stations are expected to be completed by the end of 2016 with an estimated 500 vehicles. Currently, BlueIndy has demonstration cars located in downtown while the first 12 stations are being built, according to the report.

Click here for the full Indy Star report: http://www.indystar.com/story/news/2015/06/17/indy-councilors-question-blueindy-safety/28878131/