Volkswagen Debuts WeShare Electric Car-Sharing Service in Berlin
Volkswagen launches WeShare, an all-electric, free-floating car-sharing service initially deploying 1,500 e-Golf vehicles in Berlin. The company plans to expand the fleet and bring the service to other European cities in 2020.
Volkswagen launches WeShare, a new all-electric car-sharing service similar to Car2Go, starting with a fleet of 1,500 e-Golf vehicles in Berlin. The company plans to add 500 e-up! cars to the fleet early next year and eventually include the new ID.3 electric vehicle when it officially debuts. This new service fulfills a promise Volkswagen makes to enter the EV-exclusive shared mobility market.
The WeShare service operates on a free-floating, one-way model, allowing customers to pick up and drop off cars anywhere public parking is available within the designated Berlin coverage area. Volkswagen takes responsibility for recharging the vehicles using the city's public charging network, though it later seeks to incentivize users to plug in the cars when needed. This convenient setup differs from round-trip models like Zipcar but creates logistical challenges for the operator.
Volkswagen intends to expand WeShare to Prague and Hamburg in 2020, building on Berlin's significant growth in car-sharing users. The company notes that despite a hit-and-miss track record for one-way car sharing globally, Berlin's user base grows from 180,000 people in 2010 to 2.46 million in early 2019. This new venture complements Volkswagen's existing electric ridesharing service, MOIA.