Picture Alliance Urban mobility
27.03.2012
M it is a bit of luck you can see them buzzing through the streets of Paris : silver little cars with colorful stickers. They say 'cool' or 'zéro odeur' (zero stink) and '100% électrique'. The businessman Vincent Bolloré goes into raptures at the sight of them: 'What kind of UFO is that, you think when it drives past you completely silently and without emissions.' The Frenchman is the father of the 'BlueCars' and the initiator of the Paris electric car offensive.
At the beginning of December 2011, the go-ahead was given for 'Autolib', a dense network of charging stations with the associated electric rental cars. The car was developed by batScap, a subsidiary of Groupe Bolloré and Pininfarina in Italy. The nuclear power company EDF also has a 20 percent stake. The cars are built in Italy. The purchase price should be between 15,000 and 25,000 euros, depending on the equipment
Electric shock should go around the world from Paris
The city leaders predicted a 'new mobility era' at the start. Lord Mayor Bertrand Delanoë predicted a great future for the rental system: 'On the day that Autolib becomes a habit for Parisians, it will change all cities in the world.' Paris by no means just wants to make its own traffic cleaner. From the French capital, an electric shock is supposed to go around the world, so to speak.
But three months after the start, the spark did not jump over to the Parisians themselves. Not even 650 of the 3,000 BlueCars planned by the end of 2013 are currently rolling through the avenues of the capital. Dozens of vehicles could not be delivered on time - delays in production. Things were no better for the charging stations. Just under 300 of a total of 1,200 planned filling stations were in operation. Most of it is in the planning stage or is a roadside construction site. A completely new solution has to be found for the stations originally planned in parking garages - for safety reasons. There is a risk of explosion.
The number of subscribers also falls short of expectations. According to the company, only about 2,600 Parisians bought an annual subscription. As a precaution, Bolloré had officially not given a target, but it was reported that he was more enthusiastic about electronics. The businessman is now working on one together with the citynew tariff system. This should be 'more readable', i.e. easier to understand.
Bicycle rental system is much more popular
This includes Most Parisians know in principle how Autolib works. It is similar to the very popular bike rental system Vélib, which started operating in 2007. You buy a subscription card at the metro counter, the price of which is staggered depending on the duration. As with the electric cars. It costs ten euros for 24 hours, 15 euros for seven days and 144 euros for a year. But then it gets complicated: In addition, you pay between five and seven euros in rent for the first half hour or four to eight euros for each additional half hour. In order to increase the number of subscriptions, the city and companies now want to introduce a monthly tariff and a Car-Sharing subscription, i.e. a subscription that several drivers can use. However, this could encourage abuse.
Whichever way you use it: the trial phase does not seem to be over, despite the official start. This also applies to the cars. Some of the electronics in the BlueCars failed. The drivers then did not know where the nearest charging station was or where to park. This increased travel time and rental price. Of the already few electric cars in operation, dozens had to be repaired, some on a daily basis.
Lots of damage from vandalism
The Paris press has therefore drawn a mixed interim report. So far, Autolib cannot be considered a milestone on the way to intelligent traffic control in a global metropolis. There is also a lack of public acceptance required for this. Critics complain that the construction of the planned 1,000 charging stations in Paris and the surrounding cities will cost valuable parking space. Dealers and residents are annoyed by the construction work. Taxi drivers and conventional car rental companies fear growing and publicly funded competition. The Greens in the city council, who at least rule with Lord Mayor Delanoë, fundamentally doubt the ecological benefits of the pompously launched project. They think Autolib is a 'hoax'. The lending system, in their opinion, does the opposite. Shortly after the start, Autolib is stuck in a traffic jam for many reasons.
auto motor und sport congress 2012
The third auto motor und sport congress will take place on April 12th in the Landesmesse Stuttgart ICS. Top-class representatives from automotive andThe energy industry, science and politics will be looking for answers to the question of what potential the internal combustion engine still has.
Second main topic: The challenge for the infrastructure - how are the e-networks and hydrogen filling stations going? The participation fee is 560 euros plus VAT. More information at www.ams-kongress.de, info@ams-kongress.de, phone 040/46068168
