Call for bids to run Parisian electric car hire company

Local authorities in Paris and several surrounding districts have called on bids to run a self-service electric car hire scheme modelled on the Velib bike rental system.

The Autolib, which is due to commence in September 2011, would consist of 3,000 cars at 1,000 rental locations throughout Paris and neighbouring communities, the city’s town hall reported on its website.

It also reported that four thousand battery-charging stations were also planned.

A candidate to run the Autolib scheme would be chosen by the end of 2010.  The Velib bike rental system is currently ran by JCDecaux.

The Autolib scheme is most likely to be operated as a public-private partnership, with companies including Avis, French national railway company SNCF, and the Paris Transit Authority have all expressed bids on the initial contract.

Several automotive manufacturers have also expressed interest, including Germany’s Daimler and France’s Renault and Peugeot Citroen.

Since their implementation in 2007, the popular Velib bicycles have become a firmly established part of the Paris city landscape, used for short distance travel in the capital by everyone from tourists to office workers, and grandmothers to students.

The scheme will make 3,000 electric vehicles available for those in Paris to pick up and drop off rental cars from many locations throughout Paris, and is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by 22,000 tons a year.