BlueIndy — Bollore Launching Giant EV Car-Sharing Service In Indianapolis
Indianapolis will soon be home to what’s being called the “largest electric car sharing service in the United States,” with Bollore’s upcoming launch of the BlueIndy car-sharing service there.
The BlueIndy service — which launches around eight months from now — will feature over 500 EVs, 200 service locations, and 1,000 charging stations.
Bollore has invested somewhere around $35 million into the Indianapolis service — which represents the company’s first foray into the American market. The Indianapolis service will be based around the company’s quite successful services elsewhere — Autolib’ in Paris; Bluely in Lyon; and Bluecub in Bordeaux.
Mayor of Indianapolis Greg Ballard commented on the upcoming launch: “This is an unprecedented announcement. Electric vehicles and car sharing are the future. Bollore, one of the world’s largest companies, will replicate its successful service outside of France and bring to the City the benefits of an innovative, economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Indianapolis is breaking new grounds and hopes to lead the way for other US cities.”
Vincent Bollore added to that: “The Bollore Group is proud to bring its unique technology know-how and operations excellence in electric vehicle sharing to Indianapolis, a city so strongly associated with automotive racing. We are glad to support Mayor Ballard’s energy-transition vision. From now on, residents and visitors of Indianapolis will be able to drive around without owning a car and without emitting greenhouse gases or particulate matter.”
In related news — Bollore is also currently working to bring its brand of EV-powered car-sharing service to London. With the current plans being for the deployment of 6,000 charging stations and over 3,000 vehicles within 3 years of launch. The launch date is expected to be sometime late this year or in early 2015.
For an excellent article on why electric vehicles and car-sharing services are such a perfect match, see: Autolib’ Electric Carsharing Program. More important than investing in electric vehicle charging infrastructure, the article makes the point that the best way to bring more people to electric vehicles is through EV Car-sharing services like the one Bollore is bringing to Indianapolis.
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