Skip to main content

First all-electric car-sharing scheme in North America to launch

ECOtality has announced a partnership with Car2go, a subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support what is being claimed as the first 100-per cent electric car sharing programme in North America. With plans for approximately 300 Smart Fortwo electric drive vehicles, the programme in San Diego represents the largest fleet of EVs in the United States.
April 19, 2012 Read time: 2 mins
RSS276 ECOtality has announced a partnership with 4190 Car2go, a subsidiary of 2069 Daimler North America Corporation, to provide electric vehicle charging infrastructure to support what is being claimed as the first 100-per cent electric car sharing programme in North America. With plans for approximately 300 Smart Fortwo electric drive vehicles, the programme in San Diego represents the largest fleet of EVs in the United States.

“Innovative car-sharing programmes like Car2go’s service are pivotal to encouraging the mainstream adoption of electric vehicles,” said Jonathan Read, CEO of ECOtality. “As we deploy approximately 1,000 Blink charging stations in the San Diego region as part of The EV Project, we are creating the robust public infrastructure necessary for Car2go’s programme to succeed. Together, we will show that EVs are a perfect fit for the lifestyle of San Diego drivers.”

Car2go’s all-electric programme will begin in San Diego in late 2011. The company provides a total of more than 40,000 members with more than 1,000 low-emission smart fortwo vehicles in four cities.
ECOtality is currently installing approximately 1,000 publicly available Blink charging stations throughout the San Diego region as part of ‘The EV Project’. Data collected by the charging stations will be analysed to better understand how EV drivers charge their car, and help to guide future rollouts of commercial charging stations.

ECOtality is the project manager of The EV Project and will oversee the installation of approximately 14,000 commercial and residential charging stations in 18 major cities and metropolitan areas in six states and the District of Columbia. The project will provide an EV infrastructure to support the deployment of 8,300 EVs. The project is a public-private partnership, funded in part by the U.S. Department of Energy through a federal stimulus grant and made possible by the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act (ARRA).

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • The need for a higher voltage power net for vehicles
    June 27, 2012
    Electrification of the automobile is not limited to the electric vehicles (EVs). As a new report from Frost & Sullivan points out, conventional cars of today are partly electric in their own way, with most systems in the vehicle having electrical and electronic connections for better functionality. Certain high-end vehicles possess more than 90 electronic control units (ECUs) to control the various modules within the car, making the car both sophisticated and complicated. However, added functions such as el
  • BMW i Ventures makes strategic investment in Coulomb Technologies
    July 26, 2012
    BMW i Ventures is making a strategic investment in Coulomb Technologies which claims its ChargePoint network is the largest online global charging network, connecting electric vehicle drivers to charging stations in more than 14 countries. The investment by BMW supports the development of infrastructure for plug-in electric vehicles. "BMW i Ventures recognises the importance of a global charging network for electric vehicle drivers," said Dr. Ulrich Quay, managing director of BMW i Ventures. "BMW is focused
  • MyTaxi attracts US$13 million in growth investment
    March 22, 2012
    German company myTaxi, which has revolutionised the European taxi market in less than a year, has extended its group of current investors. Daimler AG subsidiary company Car2go joins the board of the Hamburg-based company acquiring a minority stake. Lars Hinrichs, founder of XING and Hackfwd, is also added to the group of myTaxi shareholders. The existing investors T-Venture, the venture capital arm of Deutsche Telekom, and KfW Bankengruppe, all contributed to the capital increase to promote the rapid growth
  • New York to pilot cordon-based congestion charging
    March 16, 2012
    From 2009, if all goes to plan, New York will run a three-year cordon-based congestion charging pilot - the first in the US. Upon accession, US Secretary of Transportation Mary Peters signalled her intention to continue her predecessor Norman Mineta's initiative to specifically target road congestion. And, with initiatives such as the US Department of Transportation's (USDOT's) Urban Partnership Program actively promoting tolling as a part of a compound solution to the problem, the way was opened for the co