Description

Car2Go is launched in Vancouver, leading to further growth in car-sharing.

A Car2Go in Vancouver's Stanley Park

Significance

After the introduction of Car2Go, car-sharing in Vancouver expanded rapidly, as did interest in electric vehicles, leading to the growth of electric-car charging stations in the city.

A Metro Vancouver report said the emergence of car-sharing is affordable and has changed the way people move around parts of the region and allows households in the urban core to enhance their mobility.

The growth in car-sharing led to partnerships between the car companies and developers. Developers also have examined whether car-sharing should be seen as an amenity and a way to save on expensive parking infrastructure.

Background

  • Modo, founded in 1997 as the Co-operative Auto Network, was Vancouver’s first car-share service. It was followed by Zipcar in 2007, Car2Go in 2011 and Evo (by BCAA) in 2016. The four compoanies have 2,182 cars between them.
  • Vancouver was the first Canadian city to use Car2Go. The company was established by Daimler in Germany in 2008, using Smart Cars.
  • Vancouver is the first city in the world to exceed 100,000 Car2Go members.

Sources

(Updated for 2016)