Smart Autonomous Car Concept To Debut In Frankfurt

Daimler revealed a new electric concept car this past week by introducing the Smart vision EQ fortwo, a car that combines familiar Smart design elements with some forward-thinking technology. Unsurprisingly, self-driving is front and centre of this concept, demonstrating Daimler’s commitment to its own car2go service, and asserting its intention to be a key player in the future of urban mobility.

Indeed, car2go was specifically called out in the announcement of this concept vehicle, which cited 2.6 million global users renting a car with the service every 1.4 seconds. What do car2go’s existing users have to do with a concept car? Even a passing look at the Smart vision EQ’s features shows how this could be a terrific step forward in the landscape of urban carsharing.

The concept is focused around a swarm intelligence software. This technology would base an algorithm on existing user data, allowing the car to make itself available in high-demand areas. Users would then book a vehicle that would come to them, rather than seek an available vehicle nearby in the app. Second, the onboard battery, just 30 kWh, is designed for automatic charging between trips at power stations and inductive charging docks.

The most striking design feature of the Smart vision EQ are the large glass doors, which not only offer an incredible view for passengers, but also become interior and exterior facing displays — perhaps to provide traffic and weather updates, or to act as digital advertising billboards. An additional two exterior LED displays positioned in the registration plate positions at the front and rear of the vehicle provide user information, including the availability of the vehicle in question, or the name of the user who booked it.

The Smart vision EQ fortwo is just a concept, but for those who can’t wait to ditch diesel, Daimler’s Smart fortwo electric is the cheapest electric car in the US. You can also see how it compares by reading our other electric car reviews.

Concept vehicles such as this raise some interesting questions. Will anyone living in a city actually own their own car in the near future? Or will we all be driving the sharing economy, ordering a car that will arrive at our location, on demand? With the Smart vision EQ fortwo, it certainly seems that Daimler has a commitment to smoothing out some of the technological bumps in the road for shared, self-driving electric vehicles. It’s not unreasonable to say that this future will soon become reality in cities around the world.

Car Sharing Service Car2Go Dumping EVs For ICEs In San Diego

San Diego must qualify as the greenest city in the nation’s greenest state. So it’s a bit of a shock when its largest car sharing service, Car2Go, decides to give up on electric cars and go back to using cars with internal combustion engines. The problem, Car2Go says, is there are not enough EV charging stations in the San Diego area to make its business model viable. It currently has about 400 electric cars in its car sharing fleet.

Electric Car2Go Smart Car in Amsterdam

This is bad news for a city that prides itself on its plan to slash carbon emissions by 50% by the year 2035 — one of the most ambitious programs of any US city. According to the San Diego Union-Tribune, electric cars are vital to that plan , as is car sharing because it can fill small gaps in commutes that rely on mass transit or bicycling.

City and environmental leaders said on Wednesday that the decision by Car2Go should be a call to action.”It’s a lesson to all of us that we have to work harder to build the infrastructure necessary to support electric vehicles and other transportation modes,” City Councilman Todd Gloria said.

Nicole Capretz, a consultant who was the primary author of the city’s climate plan, said the Car2Go decision is a frustrating step in the wrong direction. “It’s disappointing because we as a city are on a pathway to a 100 percent clean energy future and we can’t do it without converting our vehicles to electric,” she said. “This is a step backward, so we have to regroup and figure out some new solutions,” Capretz said.

The infrastructure to support plug-in cars is a critical issue all across America. Of all the major car manufacturers, only Tesla is aggressively pursuing a strategy to build fast charging stations all across America for its customers. Everyone else is hoping the government or private industry are going to supply the chargers their EV customers will need. What is happening in San Diego illustrates the problem with that approach.

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

---

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

car2go and The Parking Spot partner on car-sharing near airport

car2go North America, LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, will partner with the Parking Spot, the leading near-airport parking company in the United States to enable car2go members to park their car2go edition smart fortwo vehicles at The Parking Spot, located adjacent to Austin-Bergstrom International Airport. The partnership with The Parking Spot will be the first airport parking option for car2go members in North America.

More than 32,000 members in the Austin community have used car2go since the company opened to the public in March 2010. The Austin network of 318 car2go edition smart fortwo vehicles, comprising 300 fuel-powered and 18 electric-drive car2gos, travel an average distance of 3 to 5 miles per trip within the 46-square-mile car2go Home Area in Austin.

Eight designated parking spaces will be reserved for car2go vehicles at The Parking Spot, located at 1600 Highway 71 East. Members do not have to pay The Parking Spot for using designated car2go parking spaces; instead, an additional $5 charge will be billed to the member’s account for each trip taken to or from The Parking Spot. Parking is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

If the “Lot Full” sign is displayed or the car2go spots are occupied, car2go members will be directed to end their trip in car2go designated overflow parking spaces. Due to the nature of airport travel, no stopovers will be allowed at this location; all trips must be ended when leaving a car2go at The Parking Spot.

car2go members from anywhere in the US can also pick up a car2go from The Parking Spot on their way into Austin. They should make sure a vehicle is available before boarding The Parking Spot shuttle at the airport. Members can reserve a car2go through free iPhone and Android apps, the Facebook finder/reservation system at austin.car2go.com or by calling 877-488-4224.

2013 Smart Fortwo Electric Drive

Since the official launch of the Smart Fortwo in October 1998, the little company within Daimler has never made a profit. Far from it. Not for lack of trying, certainly. Many of us know well the story of myriad attempts to force the world to adopt the Smart way of living in the automotive sense, only to have the various chapters conclude in a disillusioning crash and financial burn.

Smart is still trying desperately to find its proper path as a global player that sells rather well – and not just in London and a few Italian and German cities. They insist that China is the great frontier nowadays for the Fortwo in all of its trims, and they still want to figure out North America.

Is electricity the only way to force the breakthrough? We drove the previous generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive a couple of years ago and had an amazingly good time at it. The punch for traffic holeshots was addictive, and the size of the trinket-on-wheels is ideal for big-shouldered cities – this cannot be debated no matter your personal feelings about the car.

But whereas the Germans and Roger Penske firmly believed that crisis-stricken Americans would come in droves to the Smart dealer, begging for a Fortwo of any type given the model's efficiencies, Americans never made the transition of seeing the Fortwo as anything but a purchase for when you have spare change lying around and want a third toy in the garage. And young buyers who can only afford a single vehicle generally want that car to have luggage space and four seats. A more reasonable bang for buck doesn't hurt either.

Seeing as electric vehicles are slowly convincing us (very slowly) that there's some sense in their costing more than traditional-engine cars, Smart sees this as a big opportunity to offer something that still has an inflated price and more premium early adopter lifestyle aura. We have our significant doubts about all of this working, but let's get on with the drive.

This new plug-in electricity-fueled ForTwo has a constant cruising output of 47 hp and a peaky max output of 74 hp. It's tangibly twice the car.

Smart had us in Berlin recently (U.S. drives are taking place now) for the first drive of the third generation Smart Fortwo Electric Drive. A "generation" in electric car terms is more frequently a sign of a significantly updated powertrain and not a dramatically changed exterior, so these e-generations last about two years, three at most.

The damned thing really works well now, clearly even better than before, and we want this exact Smart Fortwo to sell and lease like nuts on a tree.

Compared to the last version we used to slalom around New York City's finest potholes (which was rated at 27 horsepower constant output and 40 hp maximum output), this new plug-in electricity-fueled ForTwo has a constant cruising output of 47 hp and a peaky max output of 74 hp. It's tangibly twice the car. Acceleration to 37 mph (i.e. 60 kmh) was 6.5 seconds, but is now 4.8 seconds. The shocker stat, though, is acceleration to 62 mph (100 kmh): it was 26.7 seconds for the prior car. Stop laughing; Now the time is down to an actually useful and comparatively spirited 11.5 seconds. V-max arrives at a tick over 78 mph.

The single best part is that the reviled automated transmission made (in)famous by the gas-powered model is not present.

The single best part regarding one's interface with the Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is that the reviled automated transmission made (in)famous by the gas-powered model is not present. This is a huge difference, in that its absence could make anyone at all really like the car, whereas the five-speed (previously six) automated manual with paddles frequently drove potential customers away and set off so many auto journalists. (We'll settle down now.)

The new single-ratio transmission is much lighter and compact than the one used on the previous-generation electric Fortwo. The 9.922:1 gear ratio smoothly delivers the hotter acceleration via the 96 pound-feet of torque from the new electric motor.

Ninety-three lithium ion battery cells, created by Daimler partner Li-Tec, are laid flat under the floor with particular automotive requirements in mind. The primary benefit of the new design is that the electric powertrain can function well anywhere between -50°F and 176°F. The possible range from a full charge of the 17.6-kilowatt hour pack is 90 miles, and a full recharge, which never happens to a typical owner or lessee, would need seven hours from a 13-amp 220-volt plug or six hours from a 16-amp plug. There is no DC quick charge option. Alas.

In Europe, customers can choose to buy only the car while essentially renting the battery under a separate contract.

This new Smart Fortwo Electric Drive is expected to debut at next month's LA Auto Show with deliveries starting in the spring. Pricing for the coupe is set at $25,000 and $28,000 for the open-top, so U.S. customers will finally be able to buy/finance the car outright and not just lease it or use one occasionally through the subscription Car2go program in limited markets. That latter program will continue – and is actually set to expand to many more U.S. cities – but shoppers can now also decide to buy or lease.

Europeans get a new program for buying or leasing called "Sale&Care," under which customers can choose to buy only the car while essentially renting the battery under a separate contract. One of the key concerns that have come up for buyers is worries over the battery pack should anything go wrong. And should battery technology evolve to a new and better level from Daimler's joint venture Deutsche ACCUmotive, then owners can, with advance notice, switch their contract to the new battery pack without any change in the terms or rates of the contract. It gets as detailed and complicated as you might imagine, but it eventually made sense to us after speaking with experts on hand in Berlin. The point is that Smart wants both to remove any anxiety regarding one's commitment to the e-car life while also seeking to make the battery packs as ecological a technology as possible, in part by allowing them to be easily switched, recycled, upgraded, etc. In the U.S., given the legal difficulty in leasing just the battery while selling the car and given the new Fortwo Electric Drive's lower price, the battery is included with the sale or lease of the car.

With the weight of the car down low, the drive was incredibly stable and without any rattles or mechanical whining.

As stated already, the drive is spot-on for this configuration of car. On the capable low-resistance Kumho Ecsta RH11 tires (155/60 R15 74T on all corners) and with the weight of the car down low because of the battery packs under the floor, the drive was incredibly stable and without any rattles or mechanical whining. Smart has already developed a basic exterior sound that the car emits in markets where this is or will be the law for electric vehicles. The electro-hum is nowhere near as present an ingredient as on the Fisker Karma, to cite one example, but is noticeable for those pedestrians who need to hear it.

Besides this latest and most convincing electric Smart Fortwo, the company is committing to the ebike and escooter for the US.

Using available Smart apps that are downloadable on your smartphone (happy naming coincidence, eh?), customers can monitor every aspect of life with their Fortwo Electric Drive. There is the service that not only shows where you parked your car and relays any theft alarm that may occur, but you can also reserve a perfect parking spot (frequently with charge station) in the center of town at your preferred parking structure. You can also follow the state of recharge as your car is plugged in and you're off galavanting.

Besides this latest and most convincing electric Smart Fortwo, the company is committing to launching an e-bike and e-scooter for the United States – all on sale/lease together here by the middle of 2014.

Will this be the long awaited turning point for Smart? We honestly hope so; rooting for Smart has been like rooting for the Chicago Cubs to win the World Series again: exhausting.

Source: Autoblog Green

Car2go raises prices for U.S. carsharing network

Starting today, the cost to rent a Car2go vehicle in the U.S. goes up, just a tiny bit. The carsharing prices will go from 35 cents an hour to 38, from $12.99 an hour to $13.99 and from $64.99 to $72.99 per day. These new prices are in effect in all Car2go cities in North America and still include the traditional Car2go benefits of parking, fuel, maintenance and insurance.

We asked why Car2go is raising prices now, and Car2go North America communications manager Katie Stafford said this is the first time Car2go has raised its rates "in existing Car2go cities, since we launched in North America nearly thee years ago." She continued:

The price increase comes as a result of the rising costs associated with fuel, parking, insurance, and in the case of San Diego – we have invested in building up the EV charging infrastructure so that we can keep the cars charged and ready for members to use. In all cities, new parking solutions have been created to allow members even more convenient parking options.

Speaking of electric vehicles, 30 new Car2go EVs are now operational in Portland, OR and more are coming soon to Austin, TX.

The higher rates have been in effect in Washington, D.C. and Miami, FL since Car2go started in those cities. At the very least, since Car2go membership cards now work nationwide, you'll now always know how much you're paying per minute. The cost just happens to be a little more than before, in some cases.

Source: Autoblog Green

Car2go opens in Miami today, but there's an unfortunate payment twist

PRESS RELEASE

car2go Brings a New Way of Carsharing to Miami

240 smart fortwo vehicles available for carsharing beginning July 28
Launch events feature free registration, free test drives, free driving minutes, and free food

MIAMI - car2go North America LLC, a wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, will officially launch a new way of carsharing in Miami, Florida on Saturday, July 28, making a network of 240 low-emission smart fortwo vehicles widely available and affordable throughout the City of Miami.

"The success of car2go around the world to date shows that we are in a time that demands and calls for new mobility solutions in urban settings, and we are thrilled to be working with the City of Miami and the Miami Parking Authority to bring the next generation of carsharing to the people who live in, work in and visit Miami," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go North America.

The car2go carsharing model, when used alongside existing public transportation, serves to substantially reduce the C02 emissions and traffic congestion that are common in densely populated and vibrant cities like Miami.

"We are proud to welcome car2go to Miami," said Art Noriega, CEO of the Miami Parking Authority. "car2go will provide our customers the flexibility to use another form of transportation on an as-needed basis, thus expanding the personal mobility options available to those who work, live, visit or patronize businesses in Miami."

Open for Business
Beginning Saturday, July 28, there will be 240 car2go edition smart fortwo vehicles available for people in Miami to use and share collaboratively. Those who register to become a car2go member will receive a membership card that will allow them to gain access to and drive in any of the available car2go vehicles in Miami, whenever they need it, for as long as they need it, without having to commit to a return time or location.

Registration is currently open online at Miami.car2go.com. For a limited time, all new members who use the promotion code HEAT will receive 30 free minutes of driving time, and currently the one-time $35 membership fee is being waived.

A New Way to Carshare
car2go provides an entirely new way of carsharing that gives members 24/7 access to a free-floating network of smart fortwo cars. It differs from traditional carsharing or car rental companies, particularly in these three areas:

BY THE MINUTE: Members pay only for the time they use the car, by the minute, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. There is no minimum amount of time that a car can be used. Whether a member needs a car for 10 minutes or an entire day, members simply get in and drive for as long as they want, without having to commit to a specific return time or location. Parking, fuel, maintenance and insurance are included at no additional cost, and there are no annual or monthly fees.

ON DEMAND: Members can use the first available car2go they find, via a smartphone app, via the car2go vehicle finder at car2go.com, by calling the customer call center, or by simply locating an available car2go. Reservations are not required because with car2go, members have unrestricted and unlimited access to car2go vehicles 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

FREE-FLOATING: Members can pick up and drop off a car2go anywhere within the car2go Home Area. They can simply drive the car for as long as they need it, park the car in one of the designated parking areas, and end the rental by swiping the card on the windshield reader. Instantly the car becomes available for the next member to use.

Launch Events
car2go is celebrating the launch of its ground-breaking carsharing program in the City of Miami at two events this weekend. At each event, visitors will receive free registration and 30 free minutes of driving time, learn how car2go works, test drive the car2go edition smart fortwo, enjoy free brunch, and have the opportunity to win prizes, while supplies last.
The car2go Miami launch events are taking place at:

Wynwood Kitchen & Bar
July 28, 2012, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m.
2550 NW 2nd Avenue

BARU Urbano Brickell
July 29 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.
1001 S Miami Avenue

car2go Continues Expansion in Canada and the USA

PRESS RELEASE

Daimler's car2go will launch in Toronto, Calgary and Miami this summer
Registration opens today, offering free membership and free driving time
New markets following recent expansion and growth worldwide

AUSTIN, Texas - car2go North America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, announced today it will expand its carsharing operations in Canada and the United States this summer, making urban mobility more convenient, more flexible, and more widely available than ever before.

car2go will officially start operations in Toronto on June 30, in Calgary on July 21 and in Miami, Florida on July 28. Member registration for all three cities opens today at car2go.com, offering free membership and free driving time for a limited time.

"As car2go continues to grow and spread its carsharing business throughout North America and throughout the world, more people will have access to an entirely new form of automobility," said Bodo Uebber, member of the Board of Management at Daimler AG and chairman of the Supervisory Board of Daimler Financial Services, the division at Daimler responsible for car2go. "The success of car2go around the world to date shows that we are in a time that demands and calls for new mobility solutions in urban settings, and Daimler is at the forefront of this movement."

Developed four years ago at the Daimler Business Innovation Unit in Stuttgart, Germany, car2go currently provides more than 4,000 fuel-efficient smart fortwo vehicles (including 625 electric drive cars) to more than 100,000 members worldwide for shared use. Collectively car2go members have taken more than two million trips throughout 11 cities worldwide. The number of car2go cities, members, and trips has more than doubled within the past six months.

"We are proud to continue our expansion of car2go throughout Canada and the United States this summer," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go North America. "Soon, the cities of Toronto, Calgary and Miami will have access to the unprecedented flexibility and convenience of the car2go way of carsharing."

"The people who live, work and visit these cities will join the ranks of more than 50,000 car2go members in North America who have access to our service every day," Cole went on to say. "car2go is not only becoming a recognizable part of each new city we enter, but we are also becoming a fundamental part of people's daily lives."

A Different Way to Carshare

Each car2go city in North America has a large network of 200 to 300 fuel-efficient smart fortwo cars that are available for members to use 24 hours a day, seven days a week. As the world's first free-floating carsharing service, car2go provides a new way of carsharing that is unique, particularly in these three areas:

FREE FLOATING: Members can pick up and drop off any car2go anywhere within the car2go Home Area - they do not need to drive the car back to its original location or commit to a predetermined amount of time. They can simply drive the car for as long as they need it, park the car at their destination, and end the rental by swiping the card on the windshield reader. At this moment the car becomes available for the next member to use.

PAY BY THE MINUTE: Members pay by the minute for the actual time they use the car, with discounted rates for hourly and daily use. There is no minimum amount of time that a car can be used - whether they need a car for ten minutes or an entire day, members simply get in and drive, for as long as they want, without a mandatory return time or location. Parking fees, fuel, maintenance and insurance are included at no additional cost, and there are no annual or monthly fees.

ON DEMAND: Members can use the first available car2go they find, via a smart phone app, with the car2go vehicle finder at car2go.com, by calling the customer call center, or by simply locating an available car2go on the street. Members can also reserve a vehicle up to 24 hours in advance, although reservations are not required. Members have unrestricted and unlimited access to car2go vehicles 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Registration Begins Now

Member registration for all three cities opens today, June 13 at Toronto.car2go.com, Calgary.car2go.com and Miami.car2go.com. For a limited time, people can use a promotion code to receive 30 free minutes of driving time and have the one-time $35 membership fee waived: Codes are TDOT for Toronto, ONWARD for Calgary and HEAT for Miami.

Follow car2go on Twitter and become a fan on Facebook:

Toronto: @car2goToronto and facebook.com/car2go.Toronto
Calgary: @car2goCalgary and facebook.com/car2go.Calgary
Miami: @car2goMiami and facebook.com/car2go.Miami


Charging without searching: New car2go charging spots at Amsterdam Q-Park garages

Amsterdam, Jun 14, 2012

18 exclusive car2go charging points at Q-Park garages Mahler, Bijenkorf and De Kolk
Official car2go app to find and book vehicles now available in Dutch
Introduction of driving style analysis "EcoScore" to reduce power consumption

Amsterdam – car2go today announced that 18 new dedicated electric vehicle charging points are available in three Amsterdam Q-Park garages. After successfully launching car2go in November 2011, more than 7.000 members are using the service for their trips in the Amsterdam city center. To locate available vehicles, car2go provides all members with a free Dutch Smartphone application and is going to introduce its driving style analysis called "EcoScore" to reduce power consumption.

New parking spots at Q-Park garages

The 18 new car2go parking spots with electric vehicle charging poles at the popular Q-Park garages Mahler, Bijenkorf and De Kolk are exclusively available for car2go drivers from now. Members can find the parking spots following the signage at the entrance of the garages. Fees for parking at the garages and charging the car2go vehicle are included in the rental fee of 0,29 € per driving minute and 0,09 € per "stop over" minute. The new charging points will make it even easier for car2go users to access busy areas of the city to charge their car2go. Another advantage is that the existing charging infrastructure of 400 poles will be freed up. The additional charging points at Q-Park have been made possible thanks to a subsidy from the Municipality of Amsterdam. Parking at public charging points in Amsterdam is only permitted if the vehicle is connected to the charging point; this applies for all car2go and other electric vehicles.

Successful launch phase in Amsterdam

The Daimler subsidiary car2go successfully launched its first European all-electric carsharing network in Amsterdam in November 2011 with 300 smart fortwo electric drive. To date, more than 7.000 people have registered for the service renting the vehicles around 5,000 times a week with a strong upward trend.

"With our all-electric car2go fleet in Amsterdam, we have launched one of the biggest markets for electric vehicle sharing in Europe giving thousands of people the opportunity to drive electric cars," said Robert Henrich, CEO of car2go. "We are exited to see how easily and enthusiastically people are integrating electric mobility in their daily lives."

New car2go app now available in Dutch

Since the start of operations in Amsterdam in November 2011, customer feedback helped to improve the service and several technology features have been introduced to the members. In April, the first official car2go application named "car2go" was launched for iOS systems (iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch) and is available in Dutch amongst other languages. It can be downloaded for free at the app store and helps members find and book the closest available car2go vehicle in their city. An application for Android systems will be available in June.

EcoScore driving analysis to be introduced in summer

Furthermore, an innovative driving style analysis called EcoScore will be introduced in the course of this summer. The application can be seen on the touch screen inside of each car and provides drivers with information on the environmental compatibility of their driving style. The EcoScore app monitors acceleration, deceleration and cruising behaviors. Three trees on the display will either grow or shrink, whereby the bigger the trees, the higher the overall EcoScore. The index is used to calculate the effect of the driving style on power consumption and aims to support safer driving thanks to thoughtful driving. The first stage of the EcoScore program is purely for informational purposes, but it's also possible that drivers with a driving style that is particularly environmentally friendly could be rewarded in the future. Experience in other car2go cities showed that car2go drivers are enthusiastically monitoring their personal EcoScore whilst saving power and arriving safely at their destination.

More than 100.000 car2go members worldwide

car2go is the market leader for flexible short-term rentals and has already successfully launched in eleven cities in Europe, USA and Canada. More than 100,000 members have registered for the service worldwide. A total of more than 4,000 car2go vehicles (including 625 smart fortwo electric drive models) are currently on the road and have been rented more than two million times. Amsterdam is the first home of car2go in the Netherlands and one of Europe's first all-electric carsharing networks.

World's Largest Car2go Fleet is Deployed in Berlin

In extreme sports, they say "go big, or go home." Car2go's doing both. Daimler AG's car-sharing division, which has operations in places such as Amsterdam, Vienna and San Diego, last week launched service in Berlin in its native Germany with by far its largest fleet of Smart ForTwo two-seaters available for short-term rentals. Car2go Berlin has 1,000 vehicles available for the approximately 65-square-mile area where customers can pick up and drop of the two-seaters. Car2go is charging a one-time registration fee of 9.9 euros (about $13 at current exchange rates) and will charge 12.9 ($17) euros an hour to drive. By the time the service started up in Berlin, 2,000 people had already pre-registered for the service. The car-sharing service, which has about 70,000 members throughout Europe and North America, launched in 2009 in Austin, TX. Last month, Car2go started service in Washington, D.C., and Portland, OR and said it would debut in the UK in this fall. Source: Autoblog Green / Press Release

Entering the UK: car2go Selected as Birmingham Urban Mobility Provider

PRESS RELEASE

car2go today announced it won a tender offer from Birmingham City Council to set up an urban mobility scheme. car2go is the world's first mobility program with maximum flexibility and without fixed rental locations. More than 70,000 people are already using the service in Continental Europe, USA and Canada. Birmingham is going to become the first home of car2go in the United Kingdom.

"We are proud to be chosen to build up Birmingham's first fully-flexible carsharing service," said Robert Henrich, CEO of car2go. "Winning this important bid shows, that car2go is ready to quickly expand its service in forward-thinking cities which require an innovative mobility solution complementing their existing transportation infrastructure."

In February 2012, car2go accepted an invitation to bid for the provision of an urban mobility scheme in Birmingham. Thanks to its unique features and many years of global experience in the sector of urban mobility, car2go succeeded in convincing the City of Birmingham to be the right partner for this pilot project.

Starting in autumn 2012, car2go is going to provide its members access to a fleet of up to 250 two-seater smart fortwo "car2go edition" vehicles fitted with an economical petrol engine with start/stop system. The cars are specially developed for carsharing and can be rented spontaneously inside an operating area of around 30 square miles which covers the city centre and several densely populated suburbs.

Customers have complete freedom with regard to when they start their journey and how long they keep the vehicles without a mandatory return location. Unlike traditional carsharing programs or car rental companies, the car2go vehicles will not be parked at fixed stations but can be located at any legal public parking space. car2go is paying a monthly fee to the city which covers on-street parking and selected off-street spots operated by the city.

Experience in other cities has shown that car2go is complementing the already existing means of transportation in a city. It gives Birmingham a further option for city-dwellers, making the overall system of public transport, biking and the car clubs even more attractive.

"Birmingham is committed to developing a wide range of green and public transport initiatives to reduce both traffic congestion and carbon emissions within the city, and then country at large," said Councillor Timothy Huxtable, Cabinet Member for Transport, Environment and Regeneration. "Through these projects we are keen to explore the potential that short term car share schemes may have, alongside improvements to public transport and walking/cycling links, in removing the traditional reliance on bringing cars into the city centre everyday."

car2go is specially made for short trips in urban areas. Customers will only be charged for the actual use of the vehicle, with rental periods as short as a per-minute basis. The rental prices and further details regarding the Birmingham launch will be announced in the near future.

San Diego: Car2Go's Choice For First All-Electric Car Share Service, Gallery 1

The City of San Diego has become the first city in North America to offer an all-electric car sharing network, thanks to Car2Go.

A fleet of more than 300 all-electric Smart ForTwo Electric Drives were present at the November 18 launch event.

A subsiduary of Daimler North America Corporation, the owners of Smart, Car2Go will allow San Diego residents and visitors access to a widely available and affordable emissions-free driving option, with everything from insurance and parking to roadside assistance included the rental price.

The Smart ForTwo Electric Drive may not suit everyone but it's a fun little ride and more than up to the task of nipping through city streets. Charging points located across the region will make it easy to use and parking should never be a problem. The cars are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.

Car2Go has no return time or return location requirements so when you're done with the car you can drop it off anywhere within the operating area and the Car2Go team will handle the rest.

Registration with costs $35. You'll then pay $0.35 per minute for the car, with a maximum of $12.99 per hour and $65.99 per day, plus tax. There's a 150 mile limit per rental, with additional miles charged at 45 cents each plus tax.

Want to know where one of the Smarts is parked? Find it on the Car2Go map.

The company wants to see San Diego becoming a model for other cities around the world as a way of reducing emissions and alleviating congestion, giving electric mobility to residents whenever they need it.



Source: Green Car Reports

225 car2go vehicles deploy in Vancouver for car-sharing service

A fleet of 225 car2go smart “car2go edition” vehicles in Vancouver, British Columbia, is now ready for use in the free-floating carsharing service. Vancouver is Canada’s first city to host the car2go service, in which cars have no reservations time limits, and members are allowed to make one-way trips instead of returning cars to their pickup location.

Since the announcement, approximately 2,000 Vancouverites have registered and received their membership cards. Members could begin driving the vehicles starting Saturday 18 June. car2go has extended the free registration period (a $35 value) until 3 July.

Members can rent a car2go “on-demand” or reserve a vehicle up to 24 hours in advance. The car2go vehicles that are readily available to be driven can be viewed on the internet or with a smartphone app, and can be driven for as long as needed without committing to a return time.

To end the rental, a driver leaves the vehicle at any “permit only” on-street parking spot in downtown or residential neighborhoods within the defined business area, or in one of the specially marked car2go parking spaces.

Members pay for what they use by the minute with discounted rates for hourly and daily use and are only charged for the time they use the car2go. Rates include fuel, parking, mileage, insurance, maintenance and GPS navigation.

car2go now has a global network of more than 40,000 members and 1,000 smart vehicles. car2go says it will further expand in other North American and European cities in 2011.

Source: Green Car Congress

Daimler’s car-sharing service car2go expands to Canada

Daimler’s car-sharing service car2go is expanding into Canada with the announcement that Vancouver, British Columbia, is the first Canadian city selected to launch its innovative mobility service. A newly created company, car2go Canada Ltd., a subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, will also be located in Vancouver.

First launched in Ulm, Germany three years ago, car2go was successfully rolled out a year later in North America in Austin, Texas. To date, a total of more than 35,000 customers have joined the car2go program in Ulm and Austin. There have been more than 600,000 fully automated rental transactions, averaging between 10 and 60 minutes.

car2go was also recently introduced in Hamburg, Germany, and becomes operational in Amsterdam in the Netherlands at the end of 2011.

car2go uses a “free-floating” model of car sharing, where cars are available throughout the city and can be accessed “on-demand” or reserved up to 24 hours in advance. car2go members can use car2go smartphone apps, the car2go website or a telephone hotline to find the nearest vehicle within the 47-square-kilometer Vancouver pickup and drop-off area which consists of the following quadrant: the south border follows 41^st Avenue to the north border which follows the Burrard Inlet. The east border is Nanaimo Street and the west border is Alma Street.

Members can drive the car when and where they want, and then they can simply leave it in any available “permit only” on-street parking spot in downtown or residential neighborhoods within the defined business area, or in one of the specially marked car2go parking spaces. In essence, every trip is a one-way rental, with no need to return to the location where the driver picked up the vehicle.

car2go charges customers only for the actual use of the vehicle, with rental periods as short as a per-minute basis. The rental prices in Vancouver are C$0.35 per minute, C$12.99 per hour and C$65.99 CAD per day which includes fuel, parking, mileage, insurance, maintenance, cleaning, GPS navigation and a 24/7 hotline customer support.

The smart “car2go edition” vehicles, developed in collaboration by car2go and smart in Germany, are the first series-produced automobiles designed and manufactured specifically for car sharing. Every car2go vehicle is outfitted with a solar roof and telematics hardware, including an onboard computer with a touch screen with radio and GPS controls. The smart “car2go edition” vehicles for Vancouver are provided by Mercedes- Benz Canada and its Vancouver Retail Group.

A network of 225 smart “car2go edition” vehicles will be available to Vancouver car2go members as of June 2011. Starting today until 29 May 2011, Vancouver residents can pre-register for their car2go membership without having to pay the registration fee (a C$35 value) at www.car2govancouver.com using Promo Code: VAN, or in person at the car2go office at 45 Water Street in the Gastown area of downtown Vancouver.

car2go conducted a trial assessment of its service in Vancouver from June 2010 to March 2011 with select test users.

Source: Green Car Congress