6,000 New Electric Vehicle Users in First 100 Days of car2go Service in San Diego

SAN DIEGO, March 8, 2012 /PRNewswire/ -- car2go North America LLC, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, announced today successful operations for its first 100 days in San Diego, CA. Since the launch of car2go in San Diego on Nov. 18, 2011, more than 6,000 people have registered as members of North America's first all-electric carsharing program, and more than 25,000 trips have been taken in the smart fortwo electric drive car2go vehicles.

(Photo: http://photos.prnewswire.com/prnh/20111118/NY09670)

Prior to the launch of car2go in Nov. 2011, there were reportedly 800 electric vehicles in San Diego. With the introduction of car2go, an additional 300 smart fortwo electric drive cars have been brought to San Diego, increasing the City's total number of EVs by nearly 40 percent. Since the introduction of car2go, the EV community in San Diego has grown exponentially to nearly 7,000 EV users, making San Diego one of the top cities in the world for electric vehicle drivers.

Today, the 300 car2go vehicles are collectively used among more than 6,000 members of the car2go carsharing program in San Diego, and that number continues to grow each day.

"For the first time in the history of North America, an entire city has been given access to a large network of electric vehicles that they can share, collaboratively," said Nicholas Cole, president and CEO of car2go North America LLC. "As thousands of residents of San Diego embrace car2go and the electric vehicle driving movement, they are setting an outstanding example in emissions-free urban mobility for the rest of the world."

car2go launched in San Diego with approximately 500 rentals per week. Today the average number of car2go trips per week has increased to more than 3,500. The average trip lasts between 15 and 30 minutes, and the average distance driven in a car2go is between 5 and 10 miles.

"At a time when the cost of fuel is reaching record-high prices, San Diegans are looking for ways to reduce their dependence on fuel and for more cost-efficient modes of transportation; and car2go is a very logical choice for them," Cole went on to say. "The great start of car2go in San Diego begins the next chapter in this global success story," said Klaus Entenmann, Chairman of the Board of Management of Daimler Financial Services, the Daimler division that recently took on responsibility for car2go.

car2go members can easily locate a car on the street anywhere within the car2go Home Area, via a smartphone app, via the car2go vehicle finder on the car2go website, by calling the customer call center, or simply by finding an available car on the street. Unlike traditional carsharing, members can begin their trip spontaneously or reserve a vehicle up to 24 hours in advance without committing to a mandatory return time or specific location. Members can use the cars for as long as they would like and pay only for the time they use the vehicle. Parking, insurance, re-charging and maintenance are included at no additional cost, and there are no annual fees.

Register Now! Free Registration Ends March 11, 2012

Through March 11, 2012 new members can register at SanDiego.car2go.com with the promotion code CHARGED to receive free registration (a $35 value) and 30 free minutes of driving time.

About car2go

A wholly owned subsidiary of Daimler North America Corporation, car2go N.A., LLC, offers an innovative mobility solution redefining individual transportation in rapidly growing urban areas by offering a network of several hundred environment-friendly smart fortwo vehicles for rent. It provides an innovative mode of "on-demand" transportation, which complements existing public transportation alternatives by bridging the gaps commonly associated with the "first and last mile" of a public transit commute.

car2go is currently operational in nine cities: Austin, Texas; Vancouver, British Columbia; San Diego, California; Ulm, Germany; Hamburg, Germany; Amsterdam, Netherlands; Vienna, Austria; Lyon, France; and Dusseldorf, Germany. In November 2011, car2go launched the world's largest all-electric vehicle carsharing network in the cities of San Diego, California, and Amsterdam, Netherlands, with the deployment of 300 car2go smart fortwo electric drive vehicles in each city. In March 2012, car2go will launch in Washington, D.C., and Portland, Oregon; and in April 2012, car2go will launch in Berlin, Germany. Currently there are more than 70,000 car2go members worldwide.

The innovation and environmental sustainability of car2go has earned international acclaim: In February 2012, car2go was named the "Best Carshare of 2011" by the Vancouver Courier. In September 2010, car2go was recognized by the Austin Chamber of Commerce with the "2010 Greater Austin Business Award" for its positive impact on traffic in the city. The same month, car2go received the "Clean Tech Media Award" in the category of "Mobility" in Berlin. In May 2010, car2go was honored by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) with its prestigious "2010 EPA Clean Air Excellence Award." Further information on car2go is available at www.car2go.com and www.media.daimler.com/ms/car2go/e.

SOURCE car2go North America LLC