6,000 New Electric Vehicle Users In First 100 Days Of car2go Service In San Diego

car2go North America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, announced on March 8 successful operations for its first hundred days in San Diego, CA. Since the launch of the company in San Diego on November 18, 2011, more than 6,000 people have registered as members of North America's first all-electric car-sharing program, and more than 25,000 trips have been taken in the smart fortwo electric drive car2go vehicles.

Prior to the launch in 2011, there were reportedly eight hundred electric vehicles in San Diego. With the introduction of the service, an additional three hundred smart fortwo electric drive cars have been brought to San Diego, increasing the City's total number of EVs by nearly forty percent. Since the introduction, the EV community in San Diego has grown exponentially to nearly 7,000 EV users, making San Diego one of the top cities in the world for electric vehicle drivers.

Today, the three hundred vehicles are collectively used among more than 6,000 members of the car-sharing program in San Diego, and that number continues to grow each day.

car2go launched in San Diego with approximately five hundred rentals per week. Today the average number of trips per week has increased to more than 3,500. The average trip lasts between fifteen and thirty minutes, and the average distance driven in their cars is between five and ten miles.

"At a time when the cost of fuel is reaching record-high prices, San Diegans are looking for ways to reduce their dependence on fuel and for more cost-efficient modes of transportation; and car2go is a very logical choice for them," Cole went on to say. "The great start in San Diego begins the next chapter in this global success story," said Klaus Entenmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler division that recently took on responsibility for the company.

Members can easily locate a car on the street anywhere within the car2go Home Area; via a smartphone app; via the vehicle finder on the company website; by calling the customer call center; or simply by finding an available car on the street. Unlike traditional car-sharing, members can begin their trip spontaneously or reserve a vehicle up to twenty four hours in advance without committing to a mandatory return time or specific location. Members can use the cars for as long as they would like and pay only for the time they use the vehicle. Parking, insurance, re-charging and maintenance are included at no additional cost, and there are no annual fees.

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