The German car manufacturer Volkswagen has announced it will be launching a zero emission car sharing service in Germany next year - after the owner of Renault and Peugeot signalled it would launch a similar service in Paris this year

Volkswagen WE

German car manufacturer Volkswagen has announced it will launch a “zero emission” car sharing service next year.

Volkswagen plans to make the car-on-demand service available to Germany next year through its WE customer platform, before rolling it out internationally in 2020.

The WE platform is an app that allows Volkswagen customers to use their car as a delivery address and pay for parking.

The rent-a-car fleet will only be formed of fully electric cars, according to the automobile giant.

Announcing the service at an event in Berlin, Volkswagen Brand board member for sales Jürgen Stackmann said: “We are convinced that the car sharing market still has potential.

“That is why we are entering this market with a holistic single-source concept covering all mobility needs from the short journey that takes just a few minutes to the long vacation trip.

“Our vehicle-on-demand fleets will consist entirely of electric cars, and will therefore provide zero-emission, sustainable mobility. That is an intelligent way to relieve the strain on urban areas.”

 

More manufacturers launching zero emission car sharing schemes

French car manufacturer PSA – the owner of Peugeot and Renault  – has announced a similar zero emission car sharing scheme that it intends to launch in Paris this September.

Volkswagen, the biggest vehicle brand in Germany, hinted that its WE platform could offer up an app for parking or “location-based vouchering”.

Its subsidiary Urban Mobility International (UMI) will manage the eco-friendly car sharing service, according to a Volkswagen statement.

UMI chief executive Philip Reth said: “Our customers expect an environmentally-friendly fleet that takes them to their destination quickly and at a fair price – and that is exactly the experience we will be delivering.”

The service will launch almost four years after Volkswagen fell foul of regulators for fitting devices to its cars that changed their performance of diesel engines when they were under test conditions.

Volkswagen admitted to duping regulators by cheating on emission tests, and recalled many vehicles fitted with the software.

Picture: Volkswagen