Hyperdrive
Now Paris Has Pulled the Plug on Its Electric Car-Sharing Service
- Mayor cancels loss-making Autolib’s contract with the city
- Dispute about electric cars follows mess over bike sharing
Paris was a pacesetter in shared transport, launching Velib, the first large-scale urban bike share, in 2007 and an electric-car system called Autolib in 2011. Now, both ventures have skidded off course.
The city of Paris and other local governments on Thursday canceled their contract with Autolib’s operator, Bollore SA, after the company predicted losses totaling 300 million euros ($348 million) over the next five years and asked for taxpayers to pick up much of the cost. Users also complained about dirty, poorly maintained cars.