Paris to extend electric hire car scheme

Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë has announced he intends to extend plans for a self-service electric car scheme, doubling the number of vehicles available to 4,000.

The scheme, which was originally sounded earlier this year during the Socialist Mayor's re-election campaign, is intended to be modelled on the successful Vélib on-street hire-bicycles initiative which has seen bicycle use in the city soar.

The proposed project, called Autolib, is expected to go out to tender in the coming weeks and will see 4,000 electric cars made available at 700 sites across the city.

Users will be able to take out a year's subscription or pay for the car at the pick up point using a travel card similar to London's Oyster cards.

Speaking on French radio yesterday, Delanoë said that the scheme could " revolutionise" transport in the city. "There will be a computerised system which allows you as soon as you collect the car to announce where you'll drop it off, so there will be a parking space available," he added.

The cars to be used in the scheme have not yet been decided, but according to reports earlier this year two models with French origins, BlueCar and Cleanova, are being considered. The BlueCar project was begun by French battery manufacturer Bolloré and the first vehicles are due to go on sale in mid-2009, built and styled by Italian firm Pininfarina. Meanwhile Cleanova, developed by France's Dassault Group, uses the body of the small Renault Kangoo van.

Environmentalists have offered the plans a lukewarm greeting, claiming the scheme could undermine the popularity of bicycles in the city and add to congestion.