Renault and Ferrovial expand electric car-sharing service to Paris

Spanish infrastructure giant Ferrovial and French carmaker Groupe Renault have signed a strategic agreement to extend an electric car sharing service to Paris.

The service, called Zity, will be rolled out in the French capital next month. The scheme was launched in Madrid, Spain, in 2017, via a joint venture between the two firms.

There, users can choose from 658 Renault ZOE electric cars via their phone, with an app listing the nearest available vehicle. From March, 500 Renault ZOE vehicles will be deployed in Paris.

“Providing sustainable mobility solutions to citizens is a priority in the battle against climate change challenges,” Ignacio Madridejos, the Ferrovial CEO, said in a statement issued Tuesday.

While electric cars are becoming more popular among eco-conscious consumers, introducing sharing schemes based on their technology can prove to be tricky.

Earlier this month Bluecity, an electric car sharing scheme in London, stopped offering its services, citing “current limitations which we have and the competitive environment.”

Last December, it was announced that car-sharing service Share Now — a joint venture between BMW and Daimler — was leaving the North American market and also ceasing operations in London, Florence and Brussels.

In a statement on its website, Share Now explained the decision to leave North America was down to “the volatile state of the global mobility landscape” and the “rising infrastructure complexities facing North American transportation today.”

With regards to London, Florence and Brussels, Share Now explained that despite its “best efforts and investments” in these cities across the years, “we are unable to continue operations in a manner that’s sustainable for our business due to low adoption rates.” Operations in these three cities, as well as the U.S. and Canada, will stop this weekend.