“Free Cars” Coming to Paris

Driving in cities is a major hassle, not to mention a major expense. The mayor of Paris is looking to easy urban transport with Automobiles-en-Libre-Service, basically an inexpensive version of Zipcar. Parisians can rent these so-called Voiturelib’ (“free cars”) without reserving in advance for a mere few francs Euros an hour. They can then drop them off anywhere in the city. Paris started a similar service with bikes last summer. It has been a huge success with over 5,000 rental stations around the city.

The mayor’s team calculates that one car will take the place of between five and ten private vehicles, greatly reducing congestion and pollution. But 45% of Parisians own cars already; will they be quick to give them up? Truth is, one’s car is often a very personal space, a movable home even. And then there’s the car they may use, the Cleanova (at right), which looks like a minivan/taxi mashup. Would you give up your BMW for that?But if enough people embrace the idea, the consequences could be huge for Paris and other major cities. Renting a car is pain in the U.S., and more people would probably use a service like Zipcar if it were cheaper and easier.

[via Treehugger]