Ekar brings e-car-share service to Abu Dhabi

Ekar has joined forces with renewable energy company Masdar to launch an electric vehicle (EV) car-sharing service in Abu Dhabi’s Masdar City.
November 14, 2019 Read time: 1 min

Yousef Baselaib, Masdar’s executive director of sustainable real estate, says: “The launch of this new service expands upon our existing portfolio of sustainable mobility solutions, which includes the personal rapid transit system and the 8379 Navya Autonom Shuttle.”

In July, Navya received approval from the Japanese government to operate autonomous vehicles (AVs) on open roads.

Ekar says drivers can use its app to rent a 8534 Tesla Model S or Model X for 64 fils (14p) per minute. Users can collect and return vehicles at a charging station in the city.

Vilhelm Hedberg, CEO of Ekar Middle East, says: “The carbon emissions footprint of an EV is half that of a fossil fuel-powered vehicle when the lifecycles of the vehicles are compared, and most electric cars in the market can be integrated with our car-share technology.”  

Ekar uses instant reservations and smart-access technology to provide a network of vehicles for rent in the United Arab Emirates. The service is available to people who have been driving for at least six months and visitors who submit a copy of their passport, visa page and foreign driver’s licence.

Urban Traffic Control

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • Waymo may operate AVs in Phoenix ‘without safety driver’
    October 17, 2019
    Ride-hailing company Waymo may be about to start operating fully-autonomous vehicles (AVs) to pick people up - without a safety driver. An email sent to users, which appeared on Reddit, said people in Phoenix, Arizona, who were matched with an AV will see a notification in the app that confirms the car will not have a trained driver. Users can tap a ‘What to Expect’ button within the app to learn more about the AVs. They can also communicate with a rider support agent at any part of the trip via the app o
    Read More
  • Waymo scraps AV operations in Austin
    November 15, 2019
    Waymo is closing its operations in the US city of Austin following an increase in investment in the Detroit and Phoenix areas. A spokesperson told Austin Inno: “As a result, we’ve decided to relocate all Austin positions to Detroit and Phoenix. We are working closely with employees, offering them the opportunity to transfer, as well as with our staffing partners to ensure everyone receives transition pay and relocation assistance.” Last month Waymo sent an email to users, which appeared on Reddit, saying
    Read More
  • Luxembourg to make public transport free
    December 11, 2018
    Luxembourg is to become the first country in the world to allow free travel for everyone on public transport.
    Read More
  • Viettel Post to launch ride-hailing service in Vietnam
    June 27, 2019
    Viettel Post has developed a ride-hailing app for riders in Vietnam called MyGo for car, motorbike, delivery and transport services. A report by Vietnam+ says the postal and delivery company will add transport services by truck to its app and will aim to avoid increasing prices during peak hours. The company is now seeking driver partners on the run-up to its official launch in July. South-east Asia is fertile ground for mobility services: in January, FastGo launched its ride-hailing, delivery and cater
    Read More

Highlighted Content