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Paris Embraces Electric Car,
If you have ever been to Europe you have probably noticed the extremely small cars and narrow roads. If you just happen to be in Paris the next to months you might bear witness to the smallest car you have ever seen. We like to call it the bubble car, but the real name is the BlueCar, it just doesn't sound as much fun though.
What is it? We are glad you asked. The BlueCar is Paris's new initiative to reduce traffic jams and go green. It is an electric car that can be rented out by the half hour. Yes, you read it right, by the half hour. The plan is being tested for the next couple of months.
The price tag for this venture is around $321 million dollars with the city itself investing around $47 million. The bulk of the money is from billionaire Vincent Bollore whose company makes the BlueCar.
There is an inexpensive membership fee and once signed up members could rent the cars as needed for 4 to 8 euros per half hour. Once a membership is purchased, dropping off and picking up the cars at the charging stations would be a simple, automated system, that Bollore's company would manage.
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe came up with the idea after the success of his 2007 bicycle sharing system know as Velib. A plan that has been initiated in several other cities as well. Heavy investments have been made in hopes that it will stem traffic and parking problems while promoting green energy initiatives.
If they want, tourist can rent the vehicles but the main market is for Paris natives who don't own cars and rely on the public transportation system. It is being said that at least 3 other cities have been inquiring about the system as well.
The idea is to redefine the way people think about cars, seeing them as something you use as needed rather then something you own. The initial test will have a small run of only 66 cars with 33 stations but afterwards will expand to 3,000 cars and over 1,000 stations.
The project has gained the attention of the auto industry. Nissan, Renault and Daimler have invested heavily in similar cars and want to see how they do. If the program does well, the other manufacturers may make a big push for their own electric cars. Other cities as well might be interested in the plan as well and London has tested out a very small scale version of the plan.
Incidentally, the very small, 4 passenger car is being made by the famed Italian company Pininfarina, who you might have heard of as the manufacturers of Ferrari and Maserati. While the BlueCar is no Ferrari, Mayor Delanoe fully expects it to revolutionize modern transportation.
What is it? We are glad you asked. The BlueCar is Paris's new initiative to reduce traffic jams and go green. It is an electric car that can be rented out by the half hour. Yes, you read it right, by the half hour. The plan is being tested for the next couple of months.
The price tag for this venture is around $321 million dollars with the city itself investing around $47 million. The bulk of the money is from billionaire Vincent Bollore whose company makes the BlueCar.
There is an inexpensive membership fee and once signed up members could rent the cars as needed for 4 to 8 euros per half hour. Once a membership is purchased, dropping off and picking up the cars at the charging stations would be a simple, automated system, that Bollore's company would manage.
Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoe came up with the idea after the success of his 2007 bicycle sharing system know as Velib. A plan that has been initiated in several other cities as well. Heavy investments have been made in hopes that it will stem traffic and parking problems while promoting green energy initiatives.
If they want, tourist can rent the vehicles but the main market is for Paris natives who don't own cars and rely on the public transportation system. It is being said that at least 3 other cities have been inquiring about the system as well.
The idea is to redefine the way people think about cars, seeing them as something you use as needed rather then something you own. The initial test will have a small run of only 66 cars with 33 stations but afterwards will expand to 3,000 cars and over 1,000 stations.
The project has gained the attention of the auto industry. Nissan, Renault and Daimler have invested heavily in similar cars and want to see how they do. If the program does well, the other manufacturers may make a big push for their own electric cars. Other cities as well might be interested in the plan as well and London has tested out a very small scale version of the plan.
Incidentally, the very small, 4 passenger car is being made by the famed Italian company Pininfarina, who you might have heard of as the manufacturers of Ferrari and Maserati. While the BlueCar is no Ferrari, Mayor Delanoe fully expects it to revolutionize modern transportation.