Volkswagen rolls out car-sharing project in Hanover

Volkswagen has begun trialling a new car sharing concept in the northern German city of Hanover, the nearest major metropolitan centre to the company’s headquarters in Wolfsburg. From Q3 this year (2011), the company will roll out 200 Golf BlueMotions armed with special telematics systems designed for the purpose. Initially, the ‘Quicar – Share a Volkswagen’ scheme will work through 50 pick-up and drop-off spots across the city, from which plans are afoot to expand it to take in up to a hundred. Over time the fleet will extend to other models such as the Caddy and recently launched new-generation Beetle.

Conceived in cooperation with the city’s civic authorities, the scheme will take in private and commercial users. It is designed for user friendliness and high availability Stephan Weil, Mayor of Hanover, says the city, 70km west of Wolfsburg, is the right place to test such a scheme. “Hanover has a population of some 520,000 and is a major industrial powerhouse, trade fair venue and service location, a university city and, not least, the capital of Lower Saxony – so it is the ideal setting for such a project,” said Weil. Participants can register for the scheme through shops across the city. On registration, they receive a chip card, either in standalone form or to be fixed to their driver’s licence. They can then book cars online, via a smartphone app or call centre on as little as five minutes’ notice. Running the chip over a reader fitted to the car unlocks it; it’s then activated by entering a PIN code through the touch screen.

All vehicles come with a purpose-built telematics system integrating bookings, reservations and vehicle management, along with satnav. The service extends to giving customers an SD memory card for saving destination and route details and music. Asked about the possibility of seeing the scheme here given the success of local car-share operations, Volkswagen Australia spokesman Karl Gehling told Carsales Network it’s too early to say. “It’s only being trialled in Hanover at this stage,” reiterated Gehling. “If it’s successful we may look at it, but currently no, no plans for it here.

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