Toyota and the City of Grenoble have launched a new car-sharing service called “Cité lib by Ha:mo” in the French city located in the foothills of the Alps. With the support of three other partners, the metropolitan area Grenoble-Alpes Metropole, EDF and its affiliate Sodetrel and Cité lib, Toyota has inaugurated what it calls an innovative car-sharing service.
Using the ultra-compact three-wheeled i-Road and four-wheeled COMS electric vehicles, Cité lib by Ha:mo aims to complement Grenoble’s public transport network with a solution for short-trips, including one-way trips, that can be planned as part of overall city journeys.
That’s because the fleet of 35 i-Road and 35 COMS vehicles and the charging stations are seamlessly connected to the IT infrastructure of Grenoble’s transport network, offering both route planning and online/mobile app reservations. Users can pick up one of the 70 vehicles and drop it off at any station near their destination without having to return it to the original pickup point, being charged only for the ride. Another advantage of the service is that it eliminates the need to look for a parking place.
Besides the 70 vehicles, Toyota’s contribution to the project includes the car-sharing management system called Ha:mo (for Harmonious Mobility), which it has been piloting in its home town of Toyota City in Japan. The “Cité lib by Ha:mo” service can be used by any person 18 years or older with a valid drivers’ licence, with users being required to subscribe to Cité lib online or by appointment at one of the three multi-modal transport offices in Grenoble.
The service features a total of 27 charging stations close to tram, bus or train stops, with each station having at least four spots for i-Roads and COMs. “Cité lib by Ha:mo” will open to the public on October 1 2014 for a three-year period.
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