Paris Debuts Autolib’ Car-Sharing Program
Built off the citywide bike rental scheme, the electric car-sharing project had vehicles on the road officially Dec. 5.
According to The Telegraph, Paris launched Autolib’ on Dec. 5 starting with 250 electric vehicles. The cars, a four-seat compact “Bluecar” is from Italian car designer Pininfarina and French conglomerate Groupe Bollore.
By then end of summer, the program is expected to boast 2,000 of these gray — not blue — EVs and 3,000 within the next two years. The city already installed some of the 1,200 charging stations and marked-off parking spaces for Autolib’ users. The charging stations will also be available to other EV users for an annual fee of 180 euros, according to the article.
About 2,000 people have so far registered for Autolib’ accounts, in which city officials estimate 80,000 will be needed for the program to be profitable.
Click here for the full article from The Telegraph.
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