smart expands car2go network

The Austin, Texas branch of smart’s car2go program – where a smart car is waiting on every corner ready to be driven and can then be left anywhere within the operating area – is expanding its network.

Due to increased demand, the area which the service operates in will be expanded by 63 percent, while the number of vehicles available will be increased from 200 to 300. The current smart fortwo models currently used by the service will also be replaced by an all new “car2go edition”, which smart say has designed as “the world’s first specially developed carsharing production model.”

New features of the special “car2go edition” are a larger, easier-to-use touchscreen and an upgraded user interface with improved menu, radio and navigation. Most of the new vehicles will also feature a 100-watt solar roof which supplies power to the vehicles telematics and continually charges the battery. When the vehicle is parked it will also power the ventilation system to cool the interior and reduce fuel consumption.

Helmuth Ritzer,car2go’s Chief Technology Officer said of the innovations “Our new technology makes car2go stand out even more from the solutions offered by traditional carsharing companies. It is setting the new standard for shared-use vehicles. The new hardware and software platform allow us to provide new in-car services in the future. As new features become available, the fleet will be automatically updated over-the-air.”

Since the car2go service’s launch in November 2009 over 150,000 vehicles have been rented at an average of 4000 rentals per week. The program has more than 15,000 members meaning 15 percent of the driving population over the age of 18 are members of the service in its operating area.