Volkwagen’s electric car sharing service is expanding into seven further cities in Eruope in 2020.

Škoda CITIGOe iV

Launched in Berlin, initially with a fleet of e-Golfs later extended to include to the e-up, the scheme will arrive in Paris, Madrid, Budapest, Munich and Milan in over the course of this year, covering some 8,400 EVs, including the Škoda CITIGO-e iV.

“For us, 2020 will be a year of dramatic growth,” said Philipp Reth, chief executive officer (CEO) of WeShare. “We are convinced that all-electric free-floating car sharing will be a significant, scalable transitional element in the field of sustainable, shared mobility for a considerable time on the way to automated transport systems.

Reth added that the future for such schemes lies in acceptance by the wider public together with the cities.

“We therefore hope that will receive support from the cities for example in the area of parking charges for car sharing vehicles or the designation of new car sharing areas in public spaces with a view to providing incentives for potential users and making car sharing even more interesting and relevant,” he added.

The expansion of the scheme comes as VW commits to adding the ID.33 to the fleet in Berlin by the end of 2020, as it also reports 50,000 registered customers in the city. Over the past six months, the WeShare fleet in Berlin has completed more than three million kilometres, equating to an average of four to five trips per car and day.

The scheme has also overcome issues with battery charging by partnering with the Schwarz Group, whicih is currently installing a total of 140 public charging stations at 60 Lidl and 10 Kaufland locations in Berlin. As a cooperation partner, WeShare can use the charging stations for its car sharing fleet on an exclusive basis outside the opening hours of the stores. During opening hours in the daytime, the charging stations are available to all customers of Lidl and Kaufland. In addition to the Schwarz Group, WeShare plans to establish further partnerships with a view to expanding the available infrastructure.