car2Go
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Public (subsidiary) | |
Industry | Car rental |
Founded | 2008 |
Headquarters | Stuttgart, Germany |
Number of locations | 30 |
Services | Carsharing |
Parent | Daimler AG |
Website |
www |
car2go is a subsidiary of Daimler AG providing carsharing services in European and North American cities. The company offers exclusively Smart Fortwo and Mercedes-Benz vehicles and features one-way point-to-point rentals. Users are charged by the minute, with hourly and daily rates available.[1] The service forgoes the typical centralized rental office, and cars are user-accessed wherever parked via a downloadable smartphone app. As of October 2016, car2go is the largest carsharing company in the world with over 2,000,000 members.[2]
History
Daimler introduced the service in Ulm, Germany, in October 2008,[3] where it was developed by one of its internal business innovation units and was first tested exclusively by Daimler employees.[4]
As of October 2016, car2go operates over 14,000 vehicles, which serve eight countries and 30 cities worldwide with over 2,000,000 customers.[5] Starting in May 2015, car2go added a $1 'Driver Protection Fee' for each ride to offset the lowered deductible.[6]
Since inception, car2go withdrew from several locations, including Britain, where it closed its service in London and Birmingham after only a year of operation.[7] Due to a lack of charging stations, car2go in San Diego, California, decided to replace all of its all-electric vehicle fleet with gasoline-powered cars starting on 1 May 2016. When the service started in 2011, car2go expected 1,000 charging stations to be deployed around the city, but only 400 were in place by early 2016. As a result, an average of 20% of the carsharing fleet is unavailable at any given time because the cars are either being charged or because they don’t have enough electricity in them to be driven.[8]
Locations
Current
The following table details all locations where car2go is active as of November 2016:
![](../I/m/Car2Go_in_Austin.jpg)
City/ Municipality | Country | Vehicles | Type | Start date | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|---|
Austin | U.S. | 300 | Gasoline & Electric | May 2010 | [9] |
Düsseldorf | Germany | 300 | Gasoline | February 2011 | [10] |
Hamburg | Germany | 700 | Gasoline | April 2011 | [11] |
Vancouver | Canada | 1,275 | Gasoline & Electric | June 2011 | [12][13][14] |
San Diego | U.S. | 400 | Electric | November 2011 | [15] |
Amsterdam | Netherlands | 350 | Electric | November 2011 | [16] |
Vienna | Austria | 800 | Gasoline | December 2011 | [17][18] |
Madrid | Spain | 500 | Electric | November 2015 | [19] |
Washington, D.C. | U.S. | 700 | Gasoline | March 2012 | [20][21] |
Portland, Oregon | U.S. | 465 | Gasoline & Electric | March 2012 | [22] |
Berlin | Germany | 1,200 | Gasoline & Electric | April 2012 | [23] |
Toronto | Canada | 375 | Gasoline | June 2012 | [24] |
Calgary | Canada | 600 | Gasoline | July 2012 | [25] |
Cologne | Germany | 350 | Gasoline | September 2012 | [26] |
Stuttgart | Germany | 500 | Electric | November 2012 | [27][28] |
Seattle | U.S. | 750 | Gasoline | December 2012 | [29][30] |
Minneapolis–Saint Paul | U.S. | 535 | Gasoline | September 2013 | [31][32] |
Columbus | U.S. | 300 | Gasoline | October 2013 | [33] |
Denver | U.S. | 400 | Gasoline | June 2013 | [34][35] |
Munich | Germany | 300 | Gasoline | June 2013 | [11] |
Milan | Italy | 700 | Gasoline | August 2013 | [36] |
Montreal | Canada | 460 | Gasoline | November 2013 | [37][38][39] |
Rome | Italy | 600 | Gasoline | March 2014 | [40][41] |
Florence | Italy | 200 | Gasoline | May 2014 | [42] |
Frankfurt | Germany | 250 | Gasoline | September 2014 | |
New York City | U.S. | 550 | Gasoline | October 2014 | [43][44] |
Stockholm | Sweden | 250 | Gasoline | November 2014 | |
Turin | Italy | 450 | Gasoline | March 2015 | [45] |
Prato | Italy | 35 | Gasoline | November 2015 | [46] |
Chongqing | China | 400 | Gasoline | April 2016 | [47] |
Former
The following table details all locations where car2go is no longer active as of November 2016:
City/ Municipality | Country | Start date | End date | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Ulm | Germany | October 2008 | December 2014 | [48][49] |
Lyon | France | February 2012 | June 2012 | [50] |
London | United Kingdom | December 2012 | May 2014 | [51] |
Birmingham | United Kingdom | May 2013 | May 2014 | [52] |
South Bay, Los Angeles | U.S. | June 2014 | June 2015 | [53] |
Eugene, Oregon | U.S. | October 2014 | June 2015 | [54] |
Copenhagen | Denmark | September 2014 | January 2016 | [55] |
Arlington, Virginia | U.S. | September 2015 | May 2016 | [56] |
Miami | U.S. | July 2012 | February 2016 | [57] |
Future
The following table details all planned locations for car2go as of November 2016:
City/ Municipality | Country | Start date | no. of cars | Reference |
---|---|---|---|---|
Brussels | Belgium | October 2016 | 300 | [58] |
Business model
The car2go business model is similar in all markets, although rates vary by location. The company charges a per minute rate, with discounted fixed rates for hourly and daily usage also available and applied automatically.[59] The rates are all-inclusive and cover rental, gas, insurance, parking (in authorized areas), and maintenance. In Horseshoe Bay, Canada, a popular satellite parking location near Vancouver, BC, Canada, a fee of $10 is now charged for ending your trip there on Fridays and Saturdays. A low fixed annual fee is sometimes also charged. In most markets, car2go vehicles can park in either specially designated parking spots, or in standard parking areas, with a special permit from the local municipality.[60]
Vehicles
![](../I/m/Car2Go_4-door_Mercedes-Benz_B_Class_and_a_2-door_Smart_ForTwo_in_Downtown_Vancouver.jpg)
In most cities, car2go offers only two-passenger vehicles, namely two types of Smart Fortwo "car2go edition" vehicles: gasoline-powered, and electric-powered. The gasoline-powered cars can be found in three variants based on roof configuration: "original" with integrated solar panel roof; "upgraded" with a panoramic polycarbonate roof and power side mirrors; and "new" featuring a standard roof. Electric car2go models are currently available in several markets, have a range of 84 miles (135 km), and need to be recharged every two or three days.[61] In its Canadian markets, car2go has a pilot program in place to supplement its fleet with a small number of four-door Mercedes B-class vehicles.[62][63]
Apps
First-party and third-party apps for mobile devices allow users to locate and reserve vehicles.[64] When reserving a car online, the customers are able to see the car's fuel gauge (gasoline-powered cars) or the battery's state of charge (electric-powered cars), so if the customer wants to go for an extended drive, they can find the right car for that trip. [65]
See also
References
- ↑ Stephanie Steinberg and Bill Vlasic (2013-01-25). "Car-Sharing Services Grow, and Expand Options". The New York Times. Retrieved 2013-01-26.
- ↑ "car2go Crosses Two Million Global Member Milestone".
- ↑ "Daimler's car2go: Rent a Smart anywhere, anytime". Autoblog.com. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ↑ Jeremy Korzeniewski (2008-10-21). "Daimler's car2go: Rent a Smart anywhere, anytime". Autoblog.
- ↑ Nick Gibbs. "Car2Go poised to top 1-million users". Automotive News.
- ↑ Taylor Soper. "Car2go adds $1 'Driver Protection Fee' for each ride to offset lowered deductible - GeekWire". GeekWire.
- ↑ Griffin, Jon (23 May 2014). "Car2go scrapped a year after setting up in Birmingham". Birmingham Mail. Retrieved 23 January 2015.
- ↑ Garrick, David (2016-03-16). "Car2Go switching electric cars to gas". The San Diego Union-Tribune. Retrieved 2016-03-25.
- ↑ "UPDATE: car2go car sharing program goes public in Austin, Texas". Gizmag.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "smart News » Düsseldorf's ready for car2go". News.thesmart.co.uk.s112875.gridserver.com. 2012-02-13. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- 1 2 https://web.archive.org/web/20130615132021/http://www.daimler.com/technology-and-innovation/mobility-concepts/car2go. Archived from the original on June 15, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ↑ "car2go Canada Ltd. | car2go Poised For Growth in Vancouver This Spring". Newswire.ca. 2012-03-20. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "December Newsletter: Vancouver". car2go. 2012-12-21.
- ↑ "Car2go cuts Richmond, North Vancouver coverage". 19 January 2016.
- ↑ "Car-Sharing car2go Brings New Electric Fleet to San Diego". Times of San Diego.
- ↑ "Electromobility in the Netherlands – Highlights 2014" (PDF). Netherlands Enterprise Agency. April 2015. Retrieved 2015-10-15.
- ↑ "Car2Go starts in Vienna with contactless technology made in Austria. | NFC Development & Consulting". Nfc.cc. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "Car sharing options growing fast in Vienna". 2014-07-11.
- ↑ "Madrid estrena su servicio de car-sharing eléctrico con 350 coches de car2go". elmundo.es. Retrieved 2015-11-11.
- ↑ "Daimler's car2go car-sharing service starts in D.C., Portland this month". Green.autoblog.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ Clabaugh, Jeff (2015-08-20). "Car2Go comes to Arlington — with a catch". Washington Business Journal. Retrieved 19 October 2015.
- ↑ Lizzy Duffy. "First Car2Go Bike Rack Spotted In Portland". opb.org.
- ↑ "World's largest Car2Go fleet deployed in Berlin". Green.autoblog.com. 2012-04-30. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "Car2go launches short-term car rentals in Toronto, joining Zipcar, Autoshare, even taxis in moving market". thestar.com. 2012-06-13. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "On The Road: No slowing down for car2go in Calgary". Calgaryherald.com. 2013-07-25. Retrieved 2013-08-22.
- ↑ "car2go Expands to Cologne, Germany - Rental Operations". Auto Rental News. 2012-09-10. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "smart News » Stuttgart says 'guten tag!' to car2go". News.thesmart.co.uk.s112875.gridserver.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "Stromautos auch bald im Strohgäu". stuttgarter-zeitung.de. Retrieved 2014-04-06.
- ↑ "car2go Introduces a New Way of Carsharing in Seattle, Washington". Retrieved 21 December 2012.
- ↑ "car2go-seattle-expansion". Retrieved March 2015. Check date values in:
|access-date=
(help) - ↑ http://www.broadwayworld.com/article/car2go-Introduces-Carsharing-in-Minneapolis-20130827/. Retrieved August 27, 2013. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ↑ car2go N.A. LLC (8 January 2015). "car2go Kicks Off 2015 With A Bang With Over 20,000 car2go... -- TWIN CITIES, Minn., Jan. 8, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --". prnewswire.com.
- ↑ "car2go Brings Point-to-Point Carsharing to Ohio". www.prnewswire.com. Retrieved 2014-07-09.
- ↑ Danny King. "Car2go comes to Denver with 300 Smart Fortwo car share vehicles". Autoblog.
- ↑ "Hello Denver". Car2Go. Retrieved 23 March 2015.
- ↑ "Milano, Car2go aumenta la flotta". Corriere della Sera. 28 October 2014. Retrieved 28 October 2014.
- ↑ "Auto en libre service: car2go arrive à Montréal". Retrieved 2013-10-04.
- ↑ "Media Advisory - Launch of car2go in Montreal". 2013-10-04.
- ↑ "Montreal looks into setting up an electric-car sharing service". Retrieved 2015-11-28.
- ↑ http://www.motorionline.com/2014/02/18/car2go-a-roma-il-car-sharing-smart-nella-capitale-entro-la-prossima-pasqua. Retrieved 2014-02-20. Missing or empty
|title=
(help) - ↑ "Car sharing - A Roma Il Car2go Si Espande - Quattroruote". Quattroruote.it.
- ↑ "Hello Austin". car2go.com.
- ↑ "Car2Go expands to Brooklyn". Washington Post.
- ↑ "Car2go could redefine the way New Yorkers get around town".
- ↑ "Car2go si prepara allo sbarco a Torino". La Gazzetta dello Sport - Tutto il rosa della vita.
- ↑ "Il car sharing approda a Prato, ecco come funzionerà e quanto costa [notiziediprato.it]".
- ↑ "Il Car2go's strong first month in Chongqing".
- ↑ "In depth: Daimler's Car2Go program is simple, amazing, but not perfect". Green.autoblog.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "eSmart III Production Commences". Fleets and Fuels.com. 2012-06-19. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "Car2go suspends operation in Lyon, France because of name conflict with Car' Go". Green.autoblog.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "Reif für die Insel: car2go bringt smart(e) Mobilität nach London | Daimler Global Media Site > Mercedes-Benz Cars > smart > car2go". Media.daimler.com. Retrieved 2012-12-21.
- ↑ "Daimler's car2go car-sharing service will launch in UK this fall". Green.autoblog.com. Retrieved 2012-11-26.
- ↑ "Car2go car-sharing service to suspend South Bay operations".
- ↑ "Not Found - Eugene, Oregon". The Register-Guard.
- ↑ "Car2go shutting down in Copenhagen".
- ↑ "We've Bridged the Gap!". washingtonDC.car2go.com. Retrieved 31 May 2016.
- ↑ "Car2Go suspending business indefinitely in Miami, Miami Beach". miamiherald.
- ↑ http://www.fleeteurope.com/news/car2go-arrives-october-brussels
- ↑ "Mobility for a reasonable price". car2go.com.
- ↑ "Hello Vancouver". car2go.com.
- ↑ "Hello Austin". car2go.com.
- ↑ "Four Door Vehicles". car2go.com.
- ↑ "How to find car2go's 25 new four-door Mercedes vehicles on the streets of Vancouver". straight.com. The Georgia Straight.
- ↑ "car2go Apps". car2go.com.
- ↑ "Just hop in". car2go.com.
External links
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