The city of Grenoble, the Metropolitan Area2 of Grenoble-Alpes, the shared vehicle , the French electricity company EDF and Toyota Motor Corporation (TMC) today signed a memorandum of understanding to start at the end of 2014 a collective project to share urban electric vehicles with zero emissions, aimed at covering the transport needs of the 'last section between public transport. About 70 ultracompacts urban vehicles will be offered to share in self-service in the metropolitan area of Grenoble-Alpes. This project has also received the support of the Ville de Demain3 Fund for the development of Grenoble Ecocité.
In the case of Grenoble and the Metropolitan Area of Grenoble-Alpes, it has been determined that a shared service of electric vehicles could be the solution to meet the objectives of greenhouse gases reduction and other air pollutants. The project will cover the demand for transport of the 'last section', complementing public transport and existing shared vehicle systems. EDF will install a load network in the Grenoble-Alpes metropolitan area, with points located next to public transport stations to facilitate the transport of 'last section', and in areas with minimal public transport. The project aims to meet the objectives of local public authorities to respond to the growing demand for mobility in the echocyte area and reduce at the same time the use of private vehicles.
For Toyota, this project is part of its research work of integral systems of shared vehicles , to explore the usefulness and business viability of transport solutions. The main objective of this research is to better understand the interconnection between the different modes of public and individual transport in an urban environment, as well as to know exactly the needs of consumers in regard to the mobility of the 'last section'.
For the EDF group, the project allows to evaluate the viability of this new mobility system, linked to load stations and optimized for a new urban traffic service. On the other hand, it will give the possibility of testing a new personal identification and payment system through smart cards, which will link load stations with existing public transport systems.
For Cité LIB, this shared urban vehicle service with zero emissions will complement the current offer of self -service systems of shared gasoline and diesel vehicles, basically interurban.
The common challenge of the project will consist of increasing knowledge and acceptance by users of shared vehicle , with a view to enhancing their use in the future.
Toyota plans to supply about 70 ultracompactos electric vehicles, including the Coms ultracompact vehicle and the new vehicle based on the Toyota I-Road prototype, which has been presented last week at the Geneva Motor Show. With their compact dimensions, these vehicles have been specifically adapted to urban driving, the efficient use of parking spaces and mobility needs of the 'last section'.
TMC will also provide an exclusive centralized management computer system that will allow users to consult the location and availability of shared vehicles and reserve them through smartphones called One-Mile Mobility Management System. The system will also allow the fleet operator to optimize the allocation of vehicles by the load of load stations.
For this project, the EDF group will install a network of load stations and implement a system to manage information about its location and availability. Likewise, the EDF group will contribute its knowledge about load infrastructure and shared electric vehicles, in order to improve products and services for the mobility of the last section.
I cited Lib, which operates a service of shared vehicles in Grenoble, will be in charge of daily operations and customer service. It will also be responsible for customer consultations, subscription management, reserves and maintenance of vehicles and recharge stations. Finally, it will deal with optimizing the availability of vehicles throughout the recharge stations network.
Project Summary:
- start -up: late 2014
- Project duration: 3 years
