The menagerie of vehicles on the streets of Amsterdam is about to get a little greener, as a fleet of rental EVs joins the trams, bicycles, and pedicabs on the quaint, occasionaly chaotic, cobblestones.
Car2go, a subsidiary of Daimler, will launch Europe’s first zero-emissions car sharing fleet in November, when the company’s Amsterdam operation (one of five worldwide) puts 300 Smart fortwo EVs into service. The Dutch capital already has a good vehicle charging infrastructure (250 stations, scheduled to increase to 1000 by the end of 2012) that uses energy from renewable sources.
Each of the 2-door white runabouts is equipped with “telematics technology,” which completely automates the process of renting and paying, allowing for a great deal of spontaneity, a necessity in this party town. Customers can leave the cars at any public parking spot in the city center, and don’t have to commit to a specific rental period in advance. The price will be around 13 Euros per hour or 40 Euros per day, with no per-kilometer charges.
Images: Daimler