Volkswagen plans to launch an electric car sharing service in several major cities under its We Share brand. The first fleet of vehicles will be rolled out in Berlin, and will include 1,500 e-Golf when the service begins operating in the second quarter of 2019, with an additional 500 e-up! to follow later. VW says it will begin to replace these vehicles with the first models from the new Volkswagen I.D. family in 2020.

Following the launch in Berlin, We Share is scheduled to roll out in other major cities in Germany. There are also plans to expand the service to other European markets and selected cities in North America from 2020. The primary focus will be on cities with a population of over one million.

We Share is planned as the first service in a new ecosystem called Volkswagen We, which is aimed at consumers who choose not to own vehicles. The high-visibility fleet of 2,000 We Share vehicles is intended to draw attention to the benefits of e-mobility.

“We are democratizing e-mobility,” said Jürgen Stackmann, Volkswagen Brand Board Member for Sales. “From 2020, We Share is to support the market introduction of the new generation of our new, all-electric I.D. models and thus make a significant contribution to the Volkswagen brand’s e-mobility offensive.”

“We want to motivate young, urban users to engage with e-mobility,” Stackmann continued. “Because of the size and density of its population, Berlin is the ideal market and has the greatest potential. Many people who have already tested car sharing live there – and the numbers keep on growing.”

Source: Volkswagen