Inauguarated in December 2011, Autolib's 42,000 subscribers can access 1740 cars at any of 700 charging stations, with plans to soon expand to 3000 cars at 1050 stations.
The programme is on track to reach 80,000 subscribers in 2014.
20 November 2012: A delegation of analysts from the International Energy Agency (IEA) has toured the Autolib electric-car-sharing programme in Paris. According to IEA Executive Deputy Director Richard Jones, the Autolib programme “shows other cities how easily electric vehicles can avoid both local pollution and the hassle of parking in a densely populationed city, all in the context of a paradigm shift from ownership to ‘usership’.”
Inauguarated in December 2011, Autolib’s 42,000 subscribers can access 1740 cars at any of 700 charging stations, with plans to soon expand to 3000 cars at 1050 stations. The programme is on track to reach 80,000 subscribers in 2014. Subscriptions only require an international driver’s license and photo ID, and range from annual to just 24 hours, with rental fees of €4 to €7 per half-hour. They have already saved over 720 metric tons of carbon dioxide emissions, equivalent to driving a sport-utility vehicle back and forth from Paris to Beijing over 160 times.
Paris has signed a 12-year contract with the French company Bolloré to provide the cars, charging stations, maintenance and operations for the programme. The Italian company Pininfarina designed the four-seater Autlolib cars, which run on a 300 kilogram lithium metal polymer battery, with a 10 hour charging time and range of 250 kilometers in the city and 150 kilometers on the highway.
The programme is now being replicated in other French cities. [IEA Press Release]