Open Access Article Originally Published: October 15, 2008
When Paris Mayor Bertrand Delanoë toured the Mondial de l'Automobile (Paris Auto Show), where electric cars were the center of attraction, he took time to explain the parameters of Autolib. The planned electric carshare program will incorporate some 4,000 battery electric cars, half of which will be stationed around the city, and the remaining 2,000 in its surrounding suburbs, with deployment to be complete by the end of 2010. That could prove to be a bit ambitious, according to reports French media, but Delanoë is moving forward. Neither Citroen nor Renault plan to have production versions of their battery electric cars ready in that time frame. Others, however, could be up to the task including some little-known manufacturers.
According the the Mayor, above all else, the cars must be 100% electric. They must be able to seat 4 passengers in comfort and safety. Their top speed should be at least 80 km/hr (50 mph) allowing them to also use the highways around the city. The Mayor did not specify what the driving range of the battery-powered vehicles should be, a key factor that will determine both their final price and, ultimately, public acceptance of the program.
The plan is to charge a monthly subscription to the service of between € 20 and € 30 ($27-40US) with an hourly rental fee of between € 4- € 5 ($5.50-6.70US).
A key part of Autolib, which is modeled after the Velib shared bicycle initiative in Paris, will also be the installation of some 1,400 charging stations, again half in Paris and half in the surrounding communities. While a number of outlying communities have expressed their support for the plan, some also raised concerns over the estimated €50,000 ($67,000US) price tag of reach of the charging stations. Mayor Delanoë agreed that the figure seems high, but is confident that competition among suppliers will help bring down the cost.
Additionally EdF, the French power agency, announced it would assist -- along with Renault -- in creation of the necessary charging network with some €400 million ($540US mil) in funding to come from the government. [See France Aims for Electric Car Recharging Network by 2011].
While no vehicles have yet been identified and the 2010 target would seem to preclude both Renault and Citroen, Le Parisien took it upon itself to suggest four possible contenders, three of which are featured below. The fourth, the Ligier X-Too featured above, wouldn't appear to meet the "four-passengers in comfort and safety" criteria without additional engineering changes.
Venturi CEO Gildo Pastor also told EV World that he is in talks with the city about providing a scaled down version of the firm's Eclectic electric car. The company is also in contention to provide electric versions of the Renault Kangoo to the the French postal service.
Public solicitations for vehicles and charging systems will be tendered in early 2009.
Hueliez Friendly
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Reader Comments
6 comments so far...
15-Oct-2008
64403
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I assume you mean the car would not have a license. I would hate to be a passenger if a driver has none.
Posted by: Don Jones
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15-Oct-2008
64405
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How about Venturi putting some Volages in the pool?
Posted by: john
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15-Oct-2008
64406
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Maybe Venturi will put some Volages in the pool.
Posted by: john
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16-Oct-2008
64422
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Don... Quadracycle drivers in France DO NOT have to have driver's licenses. The vehicles are considered a step up from a motor scooter or bicycle. Their engines are quite small and top speed is something around 30 mph. They are essentially the equivalent of neighborhood electric vehicles here in North America; limited speed and areas in which they can operate, typically in urban and small town settings: definitely not high-speed motorways.
John... At around prices somewhere north of 250,00 Euros (my guess, since Messr. Pastor didn't reveal his pricing), I hardly think Paris and its 'burbs' will go for that idea. They are already objecting to 50,000 Euro charging stations.
Posted by: Bill Moore
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16-Oct-2008
64423
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I think anyone that has seen the success of Velib will find this very good news. My vote is for the IMIEV which is already in production.
Posted by: Richard Doremus
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17-Oct-2008
64444
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The French seem very serious to adopt the EV way of life. Government investments, setting up of infrastructure for EVs such as charging stations etc., it all seems to be powering along!
Posted by: Eco locomotion
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