Autolib'

Autolib' is an electric car sharing service which was inaugurated in Paris, France, in December 2011. It is operated by the Bolloré industrial group, and complements the city's bike sharing scheme, Velib', which was set up in 2007. The Autolib' scheme maintains a fleet of all-electric Bolloré Bluecars for public use on a paid subscription basis, employing a citywide network of parking and charging stations.As of July 2014, over 2,500 Bluecars have been registered for the service, and the scheme has more than 155,000 registered subscribers; Autolib' furthermore offers over 4,000 electric car charging points in Paris.

Since beginning operations in Paris, Autolib' has expanded its business to the cities of Lyon and Bordeaux. Bolloré has also signed deals to begin operating offshoots of Autolib' in London and Indianapolis in 2015.

History

The Autolib' system is a follow-up to Paris' successful Velib' bike sharing scheme, which began operations in 2007. The system's electric cars are supplied by the Bolloré industrial group, as the result of a collaboration with the Italian automotive firm Pininfarina. There are also plans to integrate payment for the bicycle and car hire schemes with the ticketing systems for traditional modes of public transport. In May 2012, Vincent Bolloré, the head of the Bolloré group, stated that he expected Autolib' to become profitable by 2018.