Toyota launches ‘car sharing’ service with electric cars in France

Toyota is going to set up a cheap car rental service in Grenoble, France. Customers can pick up a small electric car at a charging station and then drop it off at another charging station. It is currently a test.

Toyota wants to offer cheap, short journeys with Cité lib. Customers can pick up an electric car at a charging station or book a ride with their smartphone. Half of the fleet consists of the tricycle i-Road, a small car that, according to Toyota, is just as manoeuvrable as a scooter. The other half consists of the Auto Body Coms, also a small single-seater, but with four wheels.

Registering for the service costs 25 euros, but then the customer only has to pay per 15 minutes. The first quarter costs 3 euros, the second costs 2 euros, and each subsequent quarter costs 1 euros. After the journey, the customer must return the car to the charging station. Customers with a subscription to public transport in Grenoble receive a discount.

According to Toyota, which collaborates with the Japanese company Ha:mo for Cité lib, this is a three-year trial. The ‘car sharing’ service should be available from next month. It is unclear whether there are plans to expand to other countries. A comparable service has previously been tested in Japan. The concept is similar to existing car sharing services such as Car2go and bike sharing services that already exist in many cities.