DriveNow

Last updated

DriveNow
Company type Private (GmbH & Co. KG)
Industry Car rental
FoundedJune 2011 (2011-06)
Defunct2019 (2019)
FateMerged with car2go
Successor Share Now
Headquarters
Munich
,
Germany
Services Carsharing
Parent BMW
Website www.drive-now.com

DriveNow was a one-way carsharing service wholly owned by the automotive manufacturer BMW. [1] In 2019, DriveNow and car2go, a carsharing service from Daimler AG, merged to form the global mobility provider Share Now, [2] with a combined fleet of 20,000 vehicles in 31 cities in 14 countries and over four million members worldwide. [3] [4] Share Now is one of the five mobility services which are part of the mobility joint venture of the BMW Group and the Daimler AG. [5]

Contents

DriveNow service began in Munich, Germany in June 2011. [6] As of October 2017, DriveNow operated over 6,000 vehicles in nine European countries. [7] Apart from five cities in Germany - Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Düsseldorf, and Cologne - DriveNow is available in Vienna, Copenhagen, Brussels, Milan, Helsinki and Lisbon. [8] In October 2017, the company reached the milestone of one million customers. [9]

DriveNow operated a fleet comprising only vehicles manufactured by subsidiaries of BMW Group including various MINI models (3 and 5 door, Convertible, Clubman, Countryman) as well as BMW X1, X2, i3, 1 series, and 2 series. [10]

Created as a joint venture between BMW Group and the car rental company Sixt SE holding 50% of shares each, DriveNow became a wholly owned subsidiary of BMW in March 2018. On 29 January 2018, BMW announced that Sixt SE had agreed to sell its 50% stake for c. €209 million. [11] In April 2018, BMW Group and Daimler AG agreed to combine their mobility services, including their car sharing devices DriveNow and car2go, to shape sustainable urban mobility for the future. [12]

A similar BMW service, ReachNow, was offered in North American cities from April 2016 to July 2019, in Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York. In contrast to DriveNow, ReachNow's technology platform was provided by RideCell rather than Sixt. [13]

Operation

Cities

The following table details all cities where DriveNow operated:

CityCountryVehiclesTypeStart dateEnd dateRef.
Munich Germany750Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricJune 2011 [14]
Berlin Germany1400Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricSeptember 2011 [15]
Hamburg Germany620Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricOctober 2013 [16]
Düsseldorf Germany310Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricJanuary 2012 [17]
Cologne Germany310Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricSeptember 2012 [18]
Vienna Austria720Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricOctober 2014 [19]
London United Kingdom720Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricDecember 201429 February 2020 [20] [21]
Copenhagen Denmark550Gasoline, ElectricSeptember 2015 [22]
Stockholm Sweden400Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricOctober 201531 October 2018 [23] [24]
Brussels Belgium310Gasoline, ElectricJuly 201629 February 2020 [25]
Milan Italy500Gasoline, ElectricOctober 2016 [26]
Helsinki Finland150Gasoline, ElectricMay 201729 February 2020 [27]
Lisbon Portugal210Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricSeptember 20173 March 2020 [28]
Budapest Hungary250Gasoline, Diesel, ElectricMay 2019 [29]

One-way car sharing model

Several BMW ActiveE in service for DriveNow charging at Googleplex in Mountain View, California Electric BMWs Charging at Google (9602705934).jpg
Several BMW ActiveE in service for DriveNow charging at Googleplex in Mountain View, California

In contrast to classic car rental, where a vehicle is rented at a designated location and typically returned after one or more days, one-way carsharing models allows the use of freely parked vehicles in the city area, or business area. Vehicles can be found and rented through an app on the phone. Driving charge is by a minute rate that ranges between €0.24 to €0.57 per minute depending on the vehicle and business area. [27] The price includes fuel, parking, and insurance. [30] DriveNow also offers packages to make the per minute rate cheaper. Vehicles can be parked back anywhere in the business area of the city. [31] Typically, the car must be parked in the same city as it was rented. The exception is in Düsseldorf and Cologne. [32]

App

An app for mobile devices allow users to locate and reserve vehicles. When reserving a car online, the customers are able to see the car's fuel gauge (gasoline-powered cars) or the battery's state of charge (electric-powered cars), so if the customer wants to go for an extended drive, they can find the right car for that trip. Cars can also be opened and closed through the app. [33]

Vehicles

DriveNow Car Sharing Mini Cooper Drive Now Mini.jpg
DriveNow Car Sharing Mini Cooper

DriveNow operates a variety of gasoline-powered and diesel BMW 1 Series, BMW 2 Series, BMW X2 series, BMW X1, Mini Countryman, Mini Clubman, Mini Convertible and Mini Cooper vehicles as well the electric-powered BMW i3 and BMW ActiveE. [34] In the San Francisco Bay Area, DriveNow deployed a fleet of 70 BMW ActiveE electric cars by July 2015. [35]

Electric driving

DriveNow Electric Driving with BMW i3 DriveNow once claimed to offer the largest electric car sharing fleet in the world, using BMW i3, BMW i3 Rex, and BMW Active E. Since 15 July 2015, a total of 724 full-electric BMW i3s have been in regular operation in the fleets of Berlin (130 vehicles), Hamburg, Cologne / Düsseldorf [36] and Munich. [37] The BMW ActiveE in Berlin and Munich were thus replaced. In London, DriveNow offered the BMW i3 from May 2015 till closure and could thus benefit from tax relief. [38] In Copenhagen, DriveNow launched a purely electric fleet of 400 vehicles in September 2015. [39]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMW</span> German automotive manufacturer

Bayerische Motoren Werke AG, commonly abbreviated to BMW, is a German multinational manufacturer of luxury vehicles and motorcycles headquartered in Munich, Bavaria, Germany. The company was founded in 1916 as a manufacturer of aircraft engines, which it produced from 1917 to 1918 and again from 1933 to 1945 creating engines for aircraft that were used in the Second World War.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carsharing</span> Brief car rental method

Carsharing or car sharing or car clubs (UK) is a model of car rental where people rent cars for short periods of time, often by the hour. It differs from traditional car rental in that the owners of the cars are often private individuals themselves, and the car sharing facilitator is generally distinct from the car owner. Car sharing is part of a larger trend of shared mobility.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sixt</span> German multinational car rental company

Sixt SE is an international mobility service provider with about 2,000 locations in more than 100 countries. Sixt SE acts as a parent and holding company of the Sixt Group, which is internationally active in the business areas of vehicle rental, car sharing, ride-hailing, and subscription.

Mercedes-Benz Mobility AG is the global financial and mobility services provider of the Mercedes-Benz Group. The company finances, leases and insures Daimler Group passenger cars and commercial vehicles, optimizes fleets of commercial customers and offers banking and credit/debit cards services in more than 40 countries.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Smart electric drive</span> Motor vehicle

The Smart EQ Fortwo, formerly Smart Fortwo electric drive, smart ed or Smart Fortwo EV, is a battery electric vehicle variant of the Smart Fortwo city car made by Smart. Since 2020, Smart is only selling battery EVs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMW i8</span> Plug-in hybrid sports car developed by BMW

The BMW i8 is a plug-in hybrid sports car developed by BMW. The i8 was part of BMW's electrified fleet and was marketed under the BMW i sub-brand. The production version of the BMW i8 was unveiled at the 2013 Frankfurt Motor Show and was released in Germany in June 2014. Deliveries to retail customers in the U.S. began in August 2014. A roadster variant was launched in May 2018. Production ended in June 2020.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shared transport</span> Demand-driven vehicle-sharing arrangement

Shared transport or shared mobility is a transportation system where travelers share a vehicle either simultaneously as a group or over time as personal rental, and in the process share the cost of the journey, thus purportedly creating a hybrid between private vehicle use and mass or public transport. It is a transportation strategy that allows users to access transportation services on an as-needed basis. Shared mobility is an umbrella term that encompasses a variety of transportation modes including carsharing, Bicycle-sharing systems, ridesharing companies, carpools, and microtransit.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMW ActiveE</span> Motor vehicle

The BMW ActiveE was a demonstration electric car based on the BMW 1 Series small family cars. It was the second vehicle after the Mini E to be developed under BMW Group’s Project i. The electric drive system was the latest addition to BMW’s EfficientDynamics programme. The US Environmental Protection Agency official range is 151 kilometres (94 mi), with an energy consumption of 33 kW·h/100 miles, and the agency rated the ActiveE's combined fuel economy at 2.3L/100 km.

Share Now GmbH is a German carsharing company, formed from the merger of Car2Go and DriveNow. Since 2022, it is a subsidiary of the Free2Move division of multinational automaker Stellantis providing carsharing services in urban areas in Europe, and formerly in North America. It has over four million registered members and a fleet of over 14,000 vehicles in 18 cities across Europe.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">GoCar (carsharing)</span> Carsharing service in Ireland

GoCar is the first Carsharing service in Ireland. GoCar members can book cars online or via the app for as little as an hour, then unlock with their phone or GoCard; the keys are in the car, with fuel, insurance and city parking all included. Rates start from €10 per hour, with 50 km of driving included on each trip. GoCar now has over 10,000 members and operates a fleet of over 300 cars across 200+ locations in Ireland. Drivers can visit GoCar.ie to request a GoCar in their community. It launched in Cork in September 2008, with the support of Cork City Council as a pilot scheme. Cork City Council gave GoCar use of 3 car parking locations in Cork City as part of a wider pilot scheme.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMW i3</span> Battery electric subcompact car

The BMW i3 is an electric car that was manufactured by German marque BMW from 2013 to 2022. The i3 was BMW's first mass-produced zero emissions vehicle and was launched as part of BMW's electric vehicle BMW i sub-brand. It is a B-segment, high-roof hatchback with an electric powertrain. It uses rear-wheel drive via a single-speed transmission and an underfloor lithium-ion battery pack with an optional range-extending petrol engine.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">BMW i</span> Sub-brand of BMW

The BMW i is a sub-brand of BMW founded in 2011 to design and manufacture plug-in electric vehicles. The company initially released two vehicles: the i3 all-electric car and the i8 plug-in hybrid. The all-electric iX3 SUV was released in late 2020, while iX SUV and the i4 all-electric liftback sedan followed later in 2021.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Shlomo Group</span> Investment and holdings Group

ITO Shmeltzer Holdings LTD, widely known as Shlomo Group is a holdings company in Israel, consists car services, automotive, real estate, communications infrastructures, insurance, shipyards services and logistics, and more. The group was founded in 1969 by Shlomo Shmeltzer, the company started out as a car rental, leasing and automotive services company. and today, through subsidiaries, it handles car services, real estate business, communications infrastructures, insurance, shipyard services, logistics and more.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plug-in electric vehicles in Germany</span> Overview of plug-in electric vehicles in Germany

The adoption of plug-in electric vehicles in Germany is actively supported by the German Federal Government. Under its National Platform for Electric Mobility, Chancellor Angela Merkel set an initial goal in 2010 to deploy one million electric vehicles on German roads by 2020, which was achieved with a six months delay in July 2021. Initially, the government did not provide subsidies to promote sales of plug-in electric vehicles, however, by the end of 2014 it was recognized that the country was well behind the set sales targets. A purchase bonus scheme was approved in 2016, but premium cars were not eligible to the incentive. In order to meet the climate targets for the transport sector, in 2016 the government set the goal to have from 7 to 10 million plug-in electric cars on the road by 2030, and 1 million charging points deployed by 2030.

Enterprise Holdings, Inc. is an American private holding company headquartered in Clayton, Missouri, in Greater St. Louis. It is the parent company of car rental agencies Enterprise Rent-A-Car, National Car Rental, Alamo Rent a Car and also operates several other transportation services including commercial fleet management, used car sales, carsharing, and commercial truck rental operations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">ReachNow</span> Carsharing service

ReachNow was a carsharing service operated by BMW Group in Seattle, Portland, and Brooklyn. It launched in 2016 and it shut down its services in Seattle and Portland on July 17, 2019. It used a mobile app for car reservations and operated a fleet of over 1,000 vehicles. It was one of three car-sharing services in the city of Seattle, competing with car2go and Zipcar. ReachNow was similar to another BMW Group service DriveNow, but was focused on North American cities starting with Seattle. Unlike DriveNow which is a joint-venture with Sixt, ReachNow is a fully owned BMW subsidiary, with RideCell rather than Sixt, providing the technology platform.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">One-way carsharing</span>

One-way carsharing is a type of carsharing that enables users to begin and end their trip at different locations. The pick-up and drop-off locations can be either restricted to traditional rental stations, or can be anywhere within an operational area in what is called free-floating carsharing.

FREENOW is a mobility service provider headquartered in Hamburg, Germany. FREENOW was formed in February 2019 from a joint venture between BMW and Daimler Mobility. Thomas Zimmermann is CEO of the FREENOW Group.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Carsharing in Moscow</span>

Carsharing in Moscow is a rapidly developing type of public transport in the city. As of January 2020 Moscow has the largest fleet of carsharing vehicles in the world which counts more than 30,000 cars ahead of such megacities as Tokyo, Beijing and Shanghai. In Moscow, more than 150,000 trips are made by carsharing cars every day. The largest carsharing operator in Moscow is Delimobil which has a fleet of 17,000 cars.

References

  1. ↑ "DriveNow comes to Helsinki". CleanTechnica . Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  2. ↑ "car2go and DriveNow join forces for new car-sharing firm". AirqualityNews.com. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  3. ↑ "SHARE NOW:Facts and figures". car2go. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  4. ↑ "car2go and DriveNow join forces: SHARE NOW to become the biggest free-floating carshare provider worldwide". Cision Newswire. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  5. ↑ "car2go and DriveNow join forces for new car-sharing firm". AirqualityNews.com. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  6. ↑ "What San Francisco taught BMW Group about car-sharing". Fortune. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  7. ↑ "car2go and DriveNow join forces for new car-sharing firm". AirqualityNews.com. Retrieved 11 June 2019.
  8. ↑ "DriveNow to Launch Carsharing Service in Lisbon". Autorentalnews. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  9. ↑ "DriveNow reaches one million customers milestone". Fleetnews. Retrieved 15 December 2017.
  10. ↑ "DriveNow Carsharing with BMW and MINI". DriveNow. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  11. ↑ "Sixt to sell its DriveNow stake to BMW". Reuters. Retrieved 29 January 2018.
  12. ↑ "DriveNow and car2go combine to offer extended ride-sharing services" . Retrieved 10 April 2018.
  13. ↑ "BMW Restarts Car-Sharing in the U.S. With New Name and Tech". Fortune. Retrieved 18 December 2017.
  14. ↑ "DriveNow Munich". DriveNow Website. Retrieved 19 September 2017.
  15. ↑ "DriveNow Car Sharing in Berlin". DriveNow Website. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  16. ↑ "DriveNow Factsheet" (PDF). DriveNow Website. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  17. ↑ "DriveNow Dusseldorf". DriveNow Website. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  18. ↑ "DriveNow Factsheet". DriveNow Website. Retrieved 20 November 2017.
  19. ↑ "DriveNow Launches in Vienna, Austria with Discount". Sixt Car Hire Blog. Archived from the original on 5 March 2016. Retrieved 18 November 2014.
  20. ↑ "BMW and Sixt join forces with DriveNow scheme to make city driving cheaper". Auto Express.
  21. ↑ "Important Message (London Discontinuation)". DriveNow Website (UK).
  22. ↑ "400 BMW i3s Headed For DriveNow Car Sharing Service in Copenhagen". InsideEVs. Retrieved 6 January 2016.
  23. ↑ "DriveNow Car Sharing in Stockholm". DriveNow (in German). Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  24. ↑ "DriveNow Stockholm Shutting Down Operations Oct 31st". www.drive-now.com. Retrieved 18 July 2018.
  25. ↑ "DriveNow Car Sharing in Brussels". DriveNow (in German). Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  26. ↑ "DriveNow Car Sharing in Milan". DriveNow (in German). Retrieved 22 November 2017.
  27. 1 2 "DriveNow Car Sharing in Helsinki" . Retrieved 18 May 2017.
  28. ↑ "DriveNow Carsharing to Launch in Lisbon". Automotive Fleet. Retrieved 14 September 2017.
  29. ↑ "DriveNow Car Sharing Budapest" . Retrieved 1 May 2019.
  30. ↑ "DriveNow UK How it works". DriveNow Website. Retrieved 3 April 2017.
  31. ↑ "DriveNow UK Business Area". DriveNow Website. Retrieved 3 May 2017.
  32. ↑ "DriveNow Car Sharing Affordable way to have a car in the city". DriveNow Website. 2 June 2015. Retrieved 12 May 2016.
  33. ↑ "Schneller, besser, einfacher: Unsere neue App | DriveNow Blog".
  34. ↑ "DriveNow Vehicles". DriveNow. Retrieved 12 April 2017.
  35. ↑ Jon Fingas (22 August 2013). "BMW DriveNow EV car sharing comes to San Francisco Bay Area, ParkNow follows suit". Engadged.com. Retrieved 6 September 2013.
  36. ↑ DriveNow. "DriveNow Dusseldorf". DriveNow. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  37. ↑ "DriveNow Launches in Munich". 27 March 2011. Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  38. ↑ "DriveNow in London" . Retrieved 5 March 2017.
  39. ↑ "DriveNow in Copenhagen" . Retrieved 5 March 2017.
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