Paris plans 'Autolib' electric car hire scheme
Sat 18 December 2010
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Paris has announced plans for the introduction of an innovative electric car scheme, to be introduced in Autumn 2011, which will see 3,000 bubble-shaped battery electric cars stationed at 1,000 self-service hire points across he city and its suburbs.
The mayor of Paris, Bertrand Delanoë, has announced that the city authorities have selected a four-seat vehicle produced by the French company Bolloré to be used in the scheme. The Bluecar is designed by Bolloré's Italian partners Pininfarina and powered by a lithium metal polymer battery. The cars can travel about 250km (155 miles) between charges and the batteries take four hours to charge.
Bolloré is reported to have invested €60m in the Autolib project, which is expected to cost more than €110m in total.
The Bluecar has a maximum speed of about 80mph and acceleration of 0 to 60kph in 6.3 seconds. It is intended for use by the 58% of Parisians who do not own a car and the additional 16% who own a car but use it less than once a month.
Autolib drivers will need a full driving licence and will have to subscribe to the scheme for €12 a month. After that they will pay €5 for the first half an hour, €4 for the next and €6 for each subsequent 30-minute slot, encouraging short hops.
In 2007, the Mayor of Paris introduced the Vélib bicycle hire scheme which has been copied by cities around the world, including London.
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