BMW Car Sharing Program to Include i3 EV

A new car sharing program just started this month in London. DriveNow plans to grow from a small-scale program by expanding naturally. Organically growing step-by step, DriveNow hopes to avoid the problems Daimler had in Britain. The partnership is a teaming up of the BMW Group and Sixt SE. They are presently in Germany (in Munich, Berlin, Düsseldorf, Cologne, and Hamburg), as well as in the Austrian capital of Vienna.

London, unlike more-progressive transportation cities such as Copenhagen (Denmark), andZurich (Switzerland), has a predominant culture of private vehicle ownership.

Starting with 210 BMW 1 Series and MINI Countryman models, the London fleet plans to continue expand to a total of 300 vehicles within the next year. By spring, 30 all-electric BMW i3s will be among other styles of vehicles being offered.

BMW i3 Car Sharing Program

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The area served by DriveNow is around 65 square kilometres (25 square miles) in size, comprising three boroughs in North London — the boroughs of Islington, Haringey, and Hackney. The subtle expansion of DriveNow is planned for neighboring boroughs in a short time.

Reuters reports that users pay a one-off registration fee. The fee makes it possible to find and open the nearest car by card or via a mobile phone app. Customers can return vehicles anywhere within the zone. “Peter Schwarzenbauer, BMW board member with responsibility for mobility services, toldReuters that the company had learnt lessons in how to bring the scheme to London. The business has more than 360,000 customers worldwide.”

Growing movements of alternative transportation choices are taking off in urban centers — both Europe and North America. Younger generations are not as attached to car ownership and continue to make multi-modal choices in transportation. Millennials identify with the automobiles differently than baby boomers… who are perhaps a bit too attached to them. Millennials go for diversity of modes, including public transportation and walking, while the numbers still show very high levels of car use by baby boomers. Millennials prefer electrics, hybrids, and carsharing services compared to older generations.

Of course, these are generalizations, but this is a documented shift that has been occurring.

Car sharing services give the ability to forgo car ownership without sacrificing mobility. Programs such as DriveNow, Zipcar, Car2Go, Autolib, and others like them are ideal for supplementing the short periods a driver may need or prefer the use of an automobile. In North America, DriveNow is only in San Francisco at this time. Its plans for expansion include 15 additional European and 10 North American cities.

Other interesting changes are in store for London. Planetsave reported earlier this year that billionaire Vincent Bollore will back an electric carsharing network in London. “His company has implemented a similar EV carsharing scheme in Paris. The one in London will cost Bollore about $166 million and have approximately 6,000 charging stations. Consumers can rent electric cars in the network in fifteen minute intervals. The first launch in late 2014 or early 2015 will provide 100 electric cars, with up to 3,000 more in the next three years.”

Christopher DeMorro examined some of the benefits from car sharing programs earlier this year, saying: “A study finds that car sharing members are learning to divest their lives of the need to drive.” Continuing, “Turns out we don’t need to drive as much as we thought! While the numbers vary wildly, the most agreed-upon number is that every vehicle in a car sharing fleet removes between 9 and 13 vehicles from our nation’s roads. If even just 10% of the population started using car sharing services, we’d remove millions of cars from our roads.”

Source: Gas2

Car Sharing Services Mean Fewer Car Sales

A new report by AlixPartners suggests that for every one car ZipCar adds to its fleet, 32 other new or used vehicle sales are lost. It won’t take long for those numbers to start adding up.

A decade ago, car sharing didn’t even exist, but these days car sharing services like ZipCar are a hot ticket, helping take a substantial bite out of the car sales market. These days though, many people opting for car sharing services like ZipCar are young Millennials living in urban areas, where the cost of car ownership is exacerbated by parking fees and higher insurance rates. Once you factor in gas, taxes, car payments, and maintenance, car ownership becomes one of the highest draws on your wallet. ZipCar members only have to pay for gas and membership fees however, saving many people literally hundreds of dollars every month. This means fewer buyers for cars, both new and used.

The report says that the average car sharing service has about 66 members for every 1 car in its fleet, but by 2020 that number could jump to 81 people per car. Furthermore, 48% of car sharing service members end up forgoing the purchase of a replacement vehicle altogether. Since 2006, this has meant approximately 500,000 fewer new car sales. By 2020, that number could rise to 1.2 million as services like ZipCar continue to expand, further contributing to a decline in actual car ownership.

The slow-and-steady growth of car sharing could explode with the introduction of autonomous cars. The technology is likely to be prohibitively expensive at first, but car sharing services could literally pull up to your front door, warmed up and ready to take you wherever you want to go. In that sense car sharing becomes more like a taxi system, and this “vehicle on demand” system could replace the car ownership model as we know it.

Source: Automotive News

Zipcar places Honda Fit EVs into Portland fleet

Zipcar, Inc. has introduced the battery-electric 2013 Honda Fit EV into the Zipcar Portland fleet, with the first vehicles located at Portland State University (PSU). Charging stations for the EVs are provided by ECOtality, Inc..

The new Honda Fit EVs are located on PSU’s campus at Parking Structure 1, and are available to all Zipcar members ages 21+ for hourly reservations, starting from $10.25 per hour.

Through Zipcar’s program with ECOtality, members who reserve Honda Fit EVs in Portland will have full access to ECOtality’s Blink Network of charging stations located throughout the Portland area if they are in need of a charge during their reservation. Each Zipcar Fit EV is outfitted with a Blink InCard, which provides complimentary access to Blink Network charging stations to charge up.

Prior to reserving one of the Zipcar EVs, members will have the opportunity to learn more about driving electric vehicles through Zipcar’s member education program.

Honda’s 2013 Fit EV, based on the five-passenger Fit, earns a combined adjusted Environmental Protection Agency mile-per-gallon-equivalency rating of 118 MPGe, and a consumption rating of 29 kWh per 100 miles. The Honda Fit EV features a 20 kWh Li-ion battery and a compact 92 kW AC synchronous electric motor that generates 256 N·m (189 lb-ft) of torque. When connected to a 240-volt circuit, the Honda Fit EV battery can be recharged in less than three hours from a low charge indicator illumination point.

BMW Earns Profit By The Minute With Car Sharing: Is Ownership Dead?

DriveNow GmbH, a joint car-sharing venture between BMW and Sixt AG has begun turning a profit, and one of its closest competitors, which is Daimler’s Car2Go, should be “back in the black” by next year.

Green Car Reports pointed out that increased car rental may be partially motivated by increased environmental awareness, but for what reason?

Renting a car still entails using a car, so it may sound odd for people to rent cars instead of buying one to reduce their environmental footprint. Fortunately, car rental could and likely will play a very important role in reducing the environmental footprints of those that use public transportation. Those who drive small cars, but would rather occasionally rent large SUVs and trucks to avoid delivery costs, and to avoid buying these large, inefficient vehicles. Urban residents can even get around owning any car at all.

Some people can use public transportation most of the time, but the trains and buses don’t go everywhere. Car sharing allows members to rent a car on very short notice, and the fact that car sharing businesses are starting to turn a profit shows how much promise is in this business model. Avis recently purchased ZipCar, an American car-sharing agency, for $500 million, and BMW’s DriveNow program is proving very popular in Europe. Might there be a day when more people “share” cars than own them?

Source: Green Car Reports

Zipcar and the City of Houston Launch First of Its Kind Municipal Electric Vehicle Car Sharing Program

PRESS RELEASE

• Nissan Leaf EVs and other plug-in electric hybrid vehicles to be outfitted with Zipcar's FastFleet® proprietary fleet sharing technology for use by city employees
• Zipcar is the world's leading car sharing network with operations in the U.S., Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. (PRNewsFoto/Zipcar, Inc.)

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Aug. 22, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- Zipcar, Inc. (Nasdaq: ZIP), the world's leading car sharing network, today announced a new partnership with the City of Houston to launch a municipal electric vehicle (EV) fleet sharing program, called Houston Fleet Share. Through this program, 50 existing city-owned fleet vehicles – including 25 Nissan Leaf EVs – will be outfitted with Zipcar's FastFleet® proprietary fleet sharing technology for use by city employees across all departments.

This program is the first of its kind, funded by the State Energy Conservation Office American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (SECO-ARRA) Transportation Program (SEP), and is designed to help the City of Houston improve efficiency, promote sustainability and save money – all without sacrificing employee mobility.

The City of Houston currently has the third largest municipal hybrid fleet in the country, with approximately 50 percent of the City's nonspecialty, light-duty fleet having been replaced with hybrid vehicles. By deploying Zipcar's FastFleet car sharing platform in these and other vehicles, as well as implementing Zipcar's self-service online reservation and secure vehicle access system, the program is expected to help the City gain new efficiencies, improve utilization and reduce costs, while further reducing the environmental impacts of their fleet.

"Houston is setting the pace for sustainability efforts, and we are very proud to be working with Zipcar to launch the nation's first-ever municipal EV green fleet sharing program," said Mayor Annise Parker. "Although we've always been known as the oil capital of the world, we're gaining momentum on being the energy capital through programs like Houston Fleet Share and the Houston Drives Electric initiative."

"By utilizing Zipcar's technology to make our fleet usage more efficient, we will be able to further reduce emissions and cut back on fleet fuel consumption, helping save money while also having a positive impact on our environment," continued Mayor Parker.

"I would like to applaud Mayor Parker and the City of Houston for all the work they have done to make the city's municipal fleet one of the most sustainable in the country through their dedication to EVs and hybrid vehicles. We're excited to help make this program even more efficient with the addition of Zipcar technology into these vehicles," said Scott Griffith, Zipcar chairman and CEO. "By utilizing Zipcar's FastFleet technology through the new Fleet Share program, the City of Houston joins smart city governments focused on developing solutions to complex transportation challenges."

The City of Houston selected Zipcar as its fleet technology provider through a competitive bidding process.

By using Zipcar's FastFleet technology, the City of Houston will be able to design and configure its fleet footprint in real time for optimal utilization; manage hundreds of critical activities including preventive maintenance, fueling, billing, and fleet distribution; analyze usage and diagnostic data, automatically captured during every trip; and utilize Zipcar's robust, experience-driven analytics to stay on top of trends and in control of its fleet.

Zipcar's FastFleet technology has already been adopted through similar initiatives in Washington, D.C., Chicago and Boston. In 2009, Washington, D.C. became the first city to use Zipcar technology in their fleet, allowing fleet operators to eliminate cars, save money and reduce emissions. D.C. officials estimate that they save approximately $1 million per year using the technology.

In March 2011, the City of Chicago became the first city in the country to integrate both the use of Zipcar's FastFleet technology in their existing fleet and Z4B (Zipcar for Business), Zipcar's business transportation solution. According to the city's projections, the integrated program could save Chicago hundreds of thousands of dollars in transportation costs over the next several years.

In addition, the City of Boston launched the FleetHub program using Zipcar's FastFleet technology in February 2012, creating an interdepartmental fleet of vehicles for use by city employees. With a focus on fleet modernization and sustainability, the program will help the City dispose of older, under-utilized vehicles, while helping to modernize the fleet with alternative fuel and hybrid vehicles.

About Zipcar
Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing network with more than 730,000 members and 11,000 vehicles located in major metropolitan areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom, Spain and Austria. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

About Zipcar's FastFleet® Technology
FastFleet is Zipcar's proprietary car sharing technology that enables fleet managers to save money, reduce risk and promote sustainability by leveraging the same technology that powers Zipcar's consumer fleet. The FastFleet program empowers client fleet administrators to determine the numbers, types and locations of vehicles, which are then equipped with Zipcar's in-vehicle technology, wirelessly linking them to a dedicated server. Utilizing FastFleet technology makes reserving and driving a vehicle a seamless process for employees, while providing significant benefits to fleet managers as well. More information is available at www.fastfleet.net.

Zipcar, FastFleet and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc.

Vauxhall Ampera offered through Zipcar car sharing scheme

Zipcar in the UK will incorporate the extended range electric Ampera into its fleet of self-service, pay-as-you-go vehicles for the next six months.
It’s the first time in the UK that a car sharing club has offered access to an Extended-Range Electric Vehicle (E-REV), and Zipcar members from today will be able to reserve the Ampera online or using their smart phones, just as they would any other of the 1,700 cars across the London.

To make this pilot possible—specifically the provision of dedicated charging points—we will be partnering with five London Boroughs: Camden, Croydon, Islington, Wandsworth and Westminster. For a number of years, we have worked closely with these Boroughs to develop the uptake of car sharing in London and their continued commitment to advancing the concept of car sharing is crucial for making London an even better place to live and work.

Mark Walker, General Manager of Zipcar UK

is the leading car sharing network with approximately 700,000 members and 9,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United Kingdom, United States and Canada. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles.
In the UK, Zipcar operates in London, Bristol, Cambridge and Oxford. In London, there are more than 1,700 vehicles available for use.


Source: Green Car Congress

Cincinnati officials developing Green Fleet Plan to eliminate fossil fuels from city vehicles by 2025; car sharing may play role

Cincinnati, Ohio city officials are developing a Green Fleet Plan that would end the city’s dependence on gasoline or diesel motor fuels by 2025.

The Green Fleet Plan is being developed for the city’s 3,654 vehicles and is expected to be finished by mid-2012. According to a 2011 report, existing city vehicles have a median fuel efficiency of 12.15 mpg.

Part of the solution may include the use of a car sharing service; Zipcar entered the Cincinnati market in September 2011.

The idea would be that the city could contract with Zipcar to provide a certain number of vehicles in the city and the city would then utilize the service for quick runs when employees need to be on-site for inspections or other service calls. The service would not completely eliminate the need for city-owned vehicles, but it is envisioned as lessening the need for the city to own as many automobiles.

...the city will be moving forward with these discussions but will be looking at a competitive bidding process that will engage more than just Zipcar.

Source: Green Car Congress

Miami Beach and Hertz Bring Car-Sharing to Florida

The City of Miami Beach loves attention. It was the first to bring a bike sharing program to South Florida with DECOBIKE, and now it has partnered with Hertz to offer “Hertz On Demand,” the first car-sharing program for a municipality (the service is already available at Florida International University, among others). The partnership kicked off yesterday with much fanfare, speeches, and assertions of awesomeness from everyone involved. After all that, it’s really just a baby step toward reducing congestion: Hertz is offering 20 cars in eight garages scattered around the city, with one hybrid option for now. If the program is successful, it will offer 100 vehicles.

Customers must rent the cars in advance online on wwww.Hertzondemand.com, so it’s convenient except that you have to wait for the fob to be mailed to you; then you can get to the keys in the car and go. There is no annual membership fee and no trial period for membership, unlike competitor Zipcar. Renters can also make one-way car trips, a major advantage over ZipCar and other car-sharing services where people must return the car to the place they picked it up. Rates start at $9.00 the hour, and start at $63 a day. The cost of gas, insurance, and 24/7 roadside assistance are included (they place a gas card under the sun visor), as are the first 180 miles within a 24 hour period. There is a $250 insurance deductible.

Someone at Hertz read the writing on the wall back in 2011 and they began capitalizing on the car-sharing trend, hoping for great publicity and profit. What they’ve come up with works- somewhat. Check out their Facebook page and you’ll see customers demanding that Hertz iron out some major kinks. Still, they’re cleverly offering to buy people’s membership cards to competitor’s driving programs: “Join Hertz On Demand for FREE and we’ll give you enough driving credits to cover the cost of your annual car share membership fee and then some. Just mail us your membership card from any US car share competitor and we’ll give you $75 in driving credits to try Hertz On Demand!” I might be tempted to keep my mine. Partly because I’m partial to something a little different, a little like RelayRide- a car-sharing program where people can make money from renting out their cars and reduce congestion.

What’s in it for the City?

It is notoriously difficult to drive around or find parking in Miami Beach, day or night. Many a woman has felt the keen agony of walking to a night club in heels from a parking garage too many blocks away. So, in theory, the Hertz program frees locals who rarely use a car from having to buy one, and therefore frees up parking spaces and congestion. The driving situation is so bad in the City that not even 100 Hertz cars will make a dent. But, at least the City is leasing parking spaces to Hertz for $75; not too shabby. Hertz will also pay Miami Beach a portion of its gross revenue: 0.50% in Year 3, 0.75% in Year 4, and 1% in Year 5, according to the City of Miami Beach press release.

Source: Gas2.0

Zipcar Announces Program with Toyota to Launch Multi-City Introduction of Plug-in Hybrid Vehicles (PHVs)

Zipcar Prius Plug-In Hybrid Vehicle










New Program Designed to Further Test and Evaluate How PHVs and EVs Can Lead to Sustainable Networked Transportation Systems

CAMBRIDGE, Mass., Jan. 27, 2011 /PRNewswire/ -- Zipcar, Inc., the world's leading car sharing service, today announced the introduction of eight Toyota Prius Plug-In Hybrid Vehicles (PHVs) into the Zipcar network, in an effort to further test and evaluate plug-in hybrid technology and gain increased intelligence on how electric vehicles (EVs) can fit into a large-scale car-sharing model. The Prius PHVs are now available to Zipcar members in Boston/Cambridge, San Francisco and Portland, Oregon.

The new vehicles are part of a pilot program with Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. to demonstrate plug-in hybrid technology, evaluate the performance of the vehicles and help to educate and prepare the public for the electrification of the automobile. The Toyota Prius PHVs, which will become commercially available in 2012, are eight of approximately 160 being distributed by Toyota nationwide.

Zipcar currently offers three of the vehicles in Cambridge/Boston; one located at the Albany Street Garage on the campus of MIT, one at 33 Arch Street in downtown Boston and one at the Prudential Center. San Francisco members have access to three of the Prius PHV vehicles, which join a converted plug-in Prius already in the fleet. One of the vehicles is housed in front of City Hall, one is located in North Point/Fisherman's Wharf and the third is located in Union Square. Two vehicles are also available in Portland, one at the Portland State University Parking Garage and one at Shaver Green. The eight Prius PHVs will be available to Zipcar members in Boston/Cambridge, San Francisco and Portland for reservation throughout 2011.

"As the operator of the largest connected vehicle network in the world, Zipcar is committed to taking a thoughtful and deliberate approach to EVs. Given Toyota's long standing commitment to hybrid and plug-in vehicle technologies, they are an ideal partner for this project. We are dedicated to embracing cutting-edge vehicle technology in a strategic way, and in a way that meets the standards of large scale, multi-city, multi-country car sharing," said Scott Griffith, Chairman and CEO of Zipcar. "Zipcar is an ideal test bed for early consumer acceptance of EVs. This project will allow companies to receive direct feedback from thousands of consumers in three cities and help evaluate how EVs fit into a large-scale car sharing model."

The Prius PHV is powered by lithium-ion batteries and can be charged from a standard 110-volt outlet. The vehicle, which takes up to three hours to charge, can travel on electric-only power at speeds of up to 62 mph for approximately 13 miles, after which it shifts to operate as a conventional Prius hybrid, averaging an estimated 50 miles per gallon. This makes the PHV model ideal for car sharing, as members are assured that the car can go the distance, no matter the charge when they pick it up. Because many trips taken by Zipcar members are fewer than 13 miles, many PHV trips will be emission-free. With the Prius PHV, Zipcar members can rely on the electric charge for shorter trips, but rest assured they have back-up for longer road trips or for use between charges.

"The PHV demonstration program is designed to gather real-world driving data and customer feedback on plug-in hybrid technology, and we're excited to be working with Zipcar to further test how this technology could have even greater environmental impact by fitting into the car sharing model," said Mary Nickerson, national manager, advanced technology vehicles, Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc. "This program will help us to educate and inform the public on plug-in hybrid technology, evaluate the performance of the vehicle under different driving conditions and better understand the benefits to future customers."

Zipcar has been a pioneer in using advanced vehicle technologies, being the first car sharing company in the United States to introduce electric vehicles into its fleet with the launch of Toyota RAV4 EVs in Boston in 2002, and the first to offer hybrid vehicles with the launch of hybrid vehicles in Seattle in 2003. Zipcar currently offers converted plug-in hybrids in San Francisco and pure EV models in the London market. Today, Zipcar offers over 1,000 hybrid vehicles available internationally, representing 15-20% of the company's entire fleet.

About Zipcar

Zipcar is the world's leading car-sharing service with more than 530,000 members and 8,000 vehicles in urban areas and college campuses throughout the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. Zipcar offers more than 30 makes and models of self-service vehicles by the hour or day to residents and businesses looking for an alternative to the high costs and hassles of owning a car. More information is available at www.zipcar.com.

Zipcar and the Zipcar logo are trademarks of Zipcar, Inc.

About Toyota Motor Sales, U.S.A., Inc.

Toyota Motor Sales (TMS), U.S.A., Inc. is the marketing, sales, distribution and customer service arm of Toyota, Lexus and Scion. Established in 1957, TMS markets products and services through a network of nearly 1,500 Toyota, Lexus and Scion dealers that sold more than 1.77 million vehicles in 2009. Toyota directly employs nearly 30,000 people in the U.S. and its investment here is currently valued at more than $18 billion. For more information about Toyota, visit www.toyota.com, www.lexus.com, www.scion.com or www.toyotanewsroom.com.