Many are familiar with Vélib, the huge bike-sharing program in Paris (18,000 bicycles and 1,200 stations!), but not everyone knows about Autolib, Paris' other shared transportation service. Instead of bikes, Autolib gives its members access to electric cars: There's currently about 1,750 of them (all Bolloré Bluecars), though the goal is to increase that number to 3,000 shortly.
The Bolloré Group has announced plans to launch a similar carsharing service in Lyon and Bordeaux... and now Indianapolis.
INDIANAPOLIS, Ind. – Mayor Greg Ballard, Bolloré Group, and leaders from Indianapolis’ largest employers, universities, hospitality destinations and civic organizations today announced that Indianapolis has been selected as the site of the largest electric car share program in the United States. Bolloré Group plans to invest approximately $35 million to launch an all-electric car share program in the city next year. The system will feature 500 electric vehicles and 1,200 charging stations at 200 car-share locations. The move marks the first time Bolloré will replicate the success of its Paris car share program outside of France.They haven't said yet what the service will be named (it might not be Autolib, as the name doesn't quite translate -- the 'lib suffix stands for "libre", which means "free").
