car2go and DriveNow join forces for new car-sharing firm

Car-sharing companies car2go and DriveNow have merged to form a new company called Share Now.

Following the merger between the BMW and Daimler-owned firms, a fleet of more than 20,000 BMW, Mercedes-Benz, smart and MINI vehicles will be available in 30 cities in Europe and North America.

Olivier Reppert, formerly managing director of car2go, will head up the new company.

He said: ‘Our car sharing improves the quality of life in cities — because we offer a cost-efficient and flexible alternative to owning a car. And we’re still only at the beginning. With the joint expertise and resources of two powerful car-sharing services, Share Now will continue to grow and convince even more people living in cities to opt for our flexible mobility service.’

Share Now says central to their future strategy will be electromobility and they claim they are already the largest provider of free-floating e-car sharing in the world. They say that 75 million miles have been covered to date in approximately 3,200 of their electric vehicles.

Last month, DriveNow expanded its electric car fleet in London which it says will help tackle air pollution in the capital.

They will be adding 130 new all-electric BMW i3s to its existing fleet of electric cars in London, expanding the city’s fleet of BMW i3s to 180.

The 50 older BMW i3s currently in the fleet will be phased out throughout this April, leaving only the newest models remaining.