Paris is introducing the world's first electric car sharing program as a part of an effort to decrease traffic and become a greener city.
The Autolib is a service that allows drivers to pick up and return electric cars at one of 100 stations located throughout Paris.
Car-sharing systems, such as Zip Car, are already popular in many U.S. cities. However, the Autolib program is unique in that its vehicles are fully electric. It also operates similar to a bicycle-sharing system that has gained much popularity in various European cities.
To rent a pay-as-you-go "Bluecar" from the company, it will cost between four and eight Euros for an hour on top of a 10 Euro membership fee. Its Lithium Metal Polymer batteries can take the vehicles about 155 miles on a single charge. [Read: 7 Reasons Your Electric Car Won't Go So Far ]
The service is undergoing a two-month testing phase with 60 vehicles. However, about 250 more cars are expected to be added to the program later this year and that the fleet could expand to 2,000 vehicles by next year.
Reach TechNewsDaily senior writer Samantha Murphy at smurphy@techmedianetwork.com. Follow her on Twitter @SamMurphy_TMN
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