Paris readies electric car-sharing program

AAA??Sep. 30, 2011?10:15 AM ET
Paris readies electric car-sharing program
AP

A member of the media takes a look at a Bluecar, an electric powered car made by French company Bollore, at a media presentation in Vaucresson, west of Paris, Friday Sept. 30, 2011. The Bluecars have a range of 250km, 155 miles, in urban use, a maximum speed of 130km/h, 80 miles per hour, and will be available in the streets of Paris under the name of Autolib. The four-seat Bluecars are to be positioned at 1,200 stations in metropolitan Paris and will be available around the clock. Users must have a valid driver's license and pay a subscription fee to borrow one of the vehicles. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

A member of the media takes a look at a Bluecar, an electric powered car made by French company Bollore, at a media presentation in Vaucresson, west of Paris, Friday Sept. 30, 2011. The Bluecars have a range of 250km, 155 miles, in urban use, a maximum speed of 130km/h, 80 miles per hour, and will be available in the streets of Paris under the name of Autolib. The four-seat Bluecars are to be positioned at 1,200 stations in metropolitan Paris and will be available around the clock. Users must have a valid driver's license and pay a subscription fee to borrow one of the vehicles. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

Members of the media take a look at a Bluecar, an electric powered car made by French company Bollore, at a media presentation in Vaucresson, west of Paris, Friday Sept. 30, 2011. The Bluecars have a range of 250km, 155 miles, in urban use, a maximum speed of 130km/h, 80 miles per hour, and will be available in the streets of Paris under the name of Autolib. The four-seat Bluecars are to be positioned at 1,200 stations in metropolitan Paris and will be available around the clock. Users must have a valid driver's license and pay a subscription fee to borrow one of the vehicles.(AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

A member of the media films a Bluecar, an electric powered car made by French company Bollore, at a media presentation in Vaucresson, west of Paris, Friday Sept. 30, 2011. The Bluecars have a range of 250km, 155 miles, in urban use, a maximum speed of 130km/h, 80 miles per hour, and will be available in the streets of Paris under the name of Autolib. The four-seat Bluecars are to be positioned at 1,200 stations in metropolitan Paris and will be available around the clock. Users must have a valid driver's license and pay a subscription fee to borrow one of the vehicles. (AP Photo/Remy de la Mauviniere)

VAUCRESSON, France (AP) ? Paris is preparing to flip the switch on what aims to be one of the world's largest electric car-sharing programs.

Organizers say Autolib', so-named after Paris' Velib' bike sharing system, will begin a two-month testing phase Sunday before full-scale operations begin Dec. 5.

At first 250 of the four-seat "Bluecars" will be available for hire, but organizers say they hope to expand that to 3,000 cars at 1,000 parking stations around Paris and neighboring towns by the end of next year.

Tourists will be able to use the service as long as they have a driver's license recognized in France.

An annual subscription will cost euro12 ($16) per month, but daily and weekly options will also be available.

Associated Press

Source: http://hosted2.ap.org/APDEFAULT/f70471f764144b2fab526d39972d37b3/Article_2011-09-30-EU-France-Car-Sharing/id-7e1f1bf5ae494aa8ad4b54034f07018a

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