The Bolloré Group will invest $35 million in Indianapolis for what it says will be the largest electric car sharing service in the US. The BlueIndy service is based on Bolloré’s existing Autolib’ in Paris, and its similar offerings in Lyon and Bordeaux.

French industrial conglomerate Bolloré partnered with Italian car designer Pininfarina to build the two-door Bluecar, and developed its own battery.

Bolloré has been quite successful with its electric fleet, and so has the Chinese service Kandi. Car-sharing services in other locations have been less enamored of EVs, so it remains to be seen how suitable the car-sharing niche is for electrification.

BlueIndy is schedule to open within eight months, with up to 500 EVs and 200 service locations fitted with 1,000 charging stations. Indianapolis Mayor Greg Ballard and Bolloré Group Chairman Vincent Bolloré announced the launch at a press event at the opening of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) conference in Indianapolis.

“Electric vehicles and car sharing are the future,” said Mayor Ballard. “Bolloré will replicate its successful service outside of France and bring to the city the benefits of an innovative, economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Indianapolis is breaking new ground and hopes to lead the way for other US cities.”

“The Bolloré Group is proud to bring its unique technology know-how and operations excellence in electric vehicle sharing to Indianapolis, a city so strongly associated with automotive racing,” said Vincent Bolloré. “We are glad to support Mayor Ballard’s energy-transition vision. From now on, residents and visitors of Indianapolis will be able to drive around without owning a car and without emitting greenhouse gases or particulate matter.”

 Left to right: Brian Wynne, EDTA President; Vincent Bolloré, Bolloré Group Chairman; Greg Ballard, Mayor of Indianapolis; Paul Mitchell, President and CEO of Energy Systems Network; and Kelly Huntington, President of Indianapolis Power & Light Co. © BlueIndy

Source: Bolloré Group