Bollore, the company that supplies electric cars to the Paris carsharing service Autolib, will begin selling the vehicles for a rock-bottom 12,000 euros (US$15,550). That sounds good, but remember that that's without a battery, which buyers would have to rent with a monthly service plan.
It sounds revolutionary, but it's really no different than buying a flatscreen HD TV and renting monthly access to cable channels. Or, buying the latest iPhone or Android smartphone or tablet and renting monthly access to call out and access the internet.
The monthly fee for Bollore battery rental is 80 Euros for unlimited mileage. The 12,000-Euro price for the Bluecar is more than 10 percent less than for the Renault Zoe, which starts at 13,650 Euros. According to L'energie D'avancer, the small Bollore Bluecar four-seater has a top speed of around 75 miles per hour and a surprising range of up to 155 miles on a full charge.
Right now, Bollore's only model is the Bluecar, the same model used by Autolib. The carsharing service currently has more than 65,000 subscribers, and boasts more than 4,000 dedicated parking spaces in and around Paris. Unfortunately for Bluecar buyers, they would not be able to use these dedicated spaces, which often are in desirable spots.
Source: Autoblog Green
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