Paris Calls for Bids to Run Electric Car Hire Scheme
December 11th, 2009 by 
PARIS (Reuters) – The Paris city hall and local authorities in several surrounding districts on Thursday called for bids to run a self-service electric car hire scheme modeled on the “Velib” bike rental system.
The “Autolib,” which is scheduled to start in September 2011, would consist of 3,000 vehicles at 1,000 rental sites in Paris and neighboring communes, the city’s town hall said on its website.
Four thousand battery-charging stations are also planned.
A candidate to run the Autolib service will be chosen by the end of next year. The Velib scheme is run by JCDecaux.
Since their introduction in 2007, the popular Velib bikes have become a firmly established part of the Paris city landscape, used for short journeys in the capital by everyone from office workers to tourists, students and grandmothers.
Reporting by Gregory Blachier; writing by Sophie Taylor, editing by Will Waterman; appearing courtesy of Reuters
[photo credit: batigolix]
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Tags:  Autolib battery-charging station car hire electric car Paris Velib | [ Permalink ] |
I think that electric cars are the future so why not share them. This could come as a advantage to those who would like but cannot afford then can use it to show off, trips, special occasions or even for serious matters like weddings and funerals. Maybe the same will happen soon in the UK.