Car Sharing

Car manufacturers are getting into the business of moving people without selling them a car. Within GM, that push led to the creation of Maven. New Atlas spoke with Deric Harwood, Head of Maven Chicago about ride sharing, and how it's helping develop autonomous cars.

Toyota has unveiled a new device aimed at allowing anyone to share their car. The Smart Key Box can be installed in a vehicle so as to provide access to people via their smartphones.

Ride-sharing and carpooling services already offer ways to get around town without having to own a car. Dutch startup Amber is launching a no-hassle on-demand​ car-sharing service that will feature its own electric car, the Amber One​, that's been specifically designed for sharing.

For Danish startup Spiri, personal car ownership is too inefficient, traditional ride-sharing services too expensive and public transport too inconvenient. It's self-drive carpooling service is promised to get you where you need to be at the price of a bus ticket for passengers and free for drivers.

A number of new car-sharing services have been announced of late, not least by carmakers looking to diversify​, like GM and Hyundai. BMW is the latest to get in on the act and it's seeking to differentiate its new service by loading it with additional features in what it calls "car-sharing 2.0."

Hyundai has followed news of its IONIQ line of electrified vehicles and roadmap for connected car development with an announcement that its cars will power the "world's first" fuel cell powered zero-emission car sharing service. BeeZero has launched exclusively using Hyundai ix35 vehicles.

Already, drivers of cars with engine-start push buttons require nothing more than a Bluetooth key fob. Volvo, however, is taking things a step farther. Beginning this spring, some Volvo drivers will need nothing more than their smartphone to use their car.

While bicycle-sharing services can come in very handy, not everyone wants to pedal a bike everywhere they go. That's where VeloMetro comes into the picture. The startup is developing a point-to-point service that will allow users to rent a sort of e-bike/car hybrid, known as the Veemo.

London's "Boris Bike" cycle hire scheme has been a huge success since its launch in 2010. Now, a French billionaire wants to apply a similar model to cars. IER, a subsidiary Vincent Bolloré's Bolloré Group, has announced plans to roll out a hire scheme for electric cars in the capital.

Narrow-track vehicles are almost certainly part of the solution for traffic congestion. Now Toyota is undergoing research in pioneering EV-sharing schemes for last mile multi-model transport in Japan and France using it's i-Road car-motorcycle combination and its Japan-only COMS EV.

Continental has begun testing a smartphone app enabling real-time centralized control for access to and charging of electric vehicle fleets.

IMA's Colibri ultra-compact electric inner-city, one-seater debuted last month at Geneva.