The much-derided gas-powered cars of Paris are about to face some tough competition. The city’s first car-sharing program, Autolib’, will launch in December, following in the footsteps of its big sister, Vélib.
Autolib’ attempts to revolutionize public transportation, combat heavy congestion on city streets and reduce our carbon footprint, all via 3,000 compact, entirely electric cars that will be available to rent with a subscription. More than just eco-friendly, these “Bluecars” emit no noise or or odor for a perfectly smooth ride.
Last weekend, I previewed the demonstration fleet (complete with temporary duct tape to hold bits in place) with Bryan and left with a better sense of how the program will function after interviewing Autolib’ staff.
Some of the basics:
- Will launch December 5th in Paris and 45 neighboring towns
- 250 stations and 250 Bluecars at inception {3,000 Bluecars by 2014}
- 4 to 7 cars per station, connected to chargers
- Could help eliminate 22,000+ gas-powered cars from city streets
- Automatic transmission in all vehicles
- 100% electric, zero noise, zero odor
- 100% recyclable battery
- GPS, touchscreen, tutorial video for operating the car
- Parking reservations at destination up to 30 minutes in advance
- 3 possible subscription options
- French or international drivers license required
- Must be at least 18 years old
- No air conditioning
As much as we were interested in test driving one of the Smart car look-alikes, we lacked the French or international driver’s license to do so. Still, the initiative, albeit ambitious, should easily seduce the increasingly eco-conscious urban population in Ile-de-France. If Zipcar (although a for-profit company) could secure a home in America, surely Europe is ready for a similar program. The question remains, will the potential maintenance costs and traffic be as disastrous to its success as some fear?
For more information on the program check out Bryan’s article on SmartPlanet (you’ll see a couple of my photos, too!) or on the Autolib’ website (in French).
More of my Autolib’ photos HERE.
