Free-floating car-sharing stages a comeback—this time with Jeep

Jeep Renegade  -  Stellantis Free2Move car-sharingTo get a quick temperature check of how car-sharing is doing, you need only look at all the once-strong brands that have left the space: Daimler’s Car2Go, BMW’s ReachNow, and GM’s Maven are a few. Those all offered so-called free-floating car-sharing—meaning cars are electronically tracked but not staged at particular...

GM uses social distancing to shut down Maven car-sharing unit

2017 Chevrolet Bolt EV added to Maven car- and ride-sharing fleet in Los Angeles, CaliforniaGeneral Motors' Maven unit that launched in 2016 targeted a combination of car-sharing, ride-sharing, and all the wonder of the gig economy with new models of personal mobility—and the potential behind-the-scenes integration that might have put them soundly ahead of other such efforts like Zipcar, Daimler's Car2Go, or BMW's ReachNow. Amid...

Porsche and Boeing developing “premium urban air mobility vehicle”

Porsche Boeing premium urban air mobility vehiclePorsche and Boeing signed a memorandum of understanding to explore the developing of flying cars, the companies announced Thursday. The notion of a "premium personal urban air mobility vehicle" may sound vague, the new joint venture, Aurora Flight Sciences, is tasked with building a "fully electric vertical takeoff and landing vehicle," which...

GM creates a global e-bike, looks for branding help with contest

GM compact e-bikeGeneral Motors is already shaping up to be second only to Tesla in blasting past the 200,000-vehicle ceiling for the federal EV tax credit; and it has plans to produce 20 new fully electric vehicles by 2023. Part of that EV-savvy strategy, apparently—or a parallel one, perhaps—involves e-bikes intended for “consumers around the...

Autonomous swarming electric pods: halfway between train and car?

Dubai Roads and Transit Authority to test Next Future Transportation NX1 autonomous electric podsThere are cars and trucks, and then there are trains and buses. While multi-seat vans and wagons can serve the purpose of buses carrying multiple unrelated people, a California company has come up with an entirely new concept. The Dubai Roads and Transport Authority announced yesterday it would test what maker Next Future Corporation calls the...