Electric Smart car sharing scheme launched in Amsterdam
On 24 November 2011, car2go launched in Amsterdam, providing 300 electric Smart Cars on a shared rental basis. Amsterdam is car2go’s fifth international city, and their first European base to operate a full electric fleet. In regards to making electric cars available to the broader population, this launch is expected to have a notable impact upon the city. Their 300 electric Smarts can be hired without pre-booking or a predestined pick-up or drop-off point, while the cars can be recharged at any of Amsterdam’s street charging points.
Cleaner kilometres
Amsterdam Alderperson Eric Wiebes: “The 300 electric Smarts from car2go fit perfectly with Amsterdam’s commitment to making journeys cleaner and improving air quality within the city. These car2go rentals are expected to cover high mileage within Amsterdam, so it is hugely beneficial that they are powered by electricity."
"Electric cars emit no fine particle pollution or nitrogen dioxide, which is great news for the health of Amsterdammers. It also means electric cars will take a big step towards reaching a broader public audience.”
Additional transportation
Robert Henrich, CEO of car2go: “Car2go is aiding the growing trend that people living in cities are increasingly swapping their privately-owned cars for car sharing. It complements the existing transport infrastructure for those who only require access to a car for short periods. It also means there are no fixed costs for road tax, car insurance, parking and MOT checks. Our experience in previous cities demonstrates that this demand exists.”
Free parking within the service area
Customers can use car2go to drive anywhere, however, they must return the car to within the car2go coverage area. Car2go’s Amsterdam service area will cover 80 square kilometres; approximately the areas within the A10 motorway ring (excluding Amsterdam Noord), plus parts of the Zuidas business district, the ArenA and IJburg.
Within these service areas, Smarts may be parked for, either in regular parking bays or in one of Amsterdam’s 200+ street charging stations. It is also possible to park the cars in one of 36 designated car2go parking spaces in the city’s six parking garages operated by Q-Park.
Recharging at Amsterdam’s street charging stations
Car2go’s Smart cars have a typical driving range of 135km. These car2go rentals, as well as other private electric cars, can be recharged at more than 200 street charging stations around Amsterdam. In an expansion programme running through 2012, this number will increase to 1,000 charging stations.
Once the car’s battery falls below 20% of maximum charge, it is recommended to park the car at one of the charging points, with the nearest charging location indicated on the car’s dashboard. When the battery charge falls below 40%, the driver is credited with ten free minutes in order to recharge the car. The car2go Smarts do not have to be fully charged in order to be available for rental; the minimum battery capacity for new pick-ups is 50%.
Costs
One minute of driving in a car2go Smart costs 29 cents. The hourly rate is 12.90 euros and the daily rate (24 hours) is 39 euros. If car2go is used for stopovers, the booking automatically continues at a special parking rate of nine cents per minute (5.40 euros per hour). Insurance, taxes, electricity and parking fees are included in these tariffs.
Interested parties can register online or at the new car2go shop (Oude Spiegelstraat 6a). A one-off registration fee of 10 euros applies.
Related topics
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New subsidy scheme for recharge point installation
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