ShareNow phases out electric cars in Berlin - Senate rejects allegations

As reported by the industry information service energate, the Berlin Senate has rejected the allegations made by the BMW-Daimler joint venture ShareNow, which claimed that the federal capital is not a profitable location for electric carsharing. The current conditions in Berlin do not support the successful operation of a partially electric fleet, according to the accusation made by the two manufacturers, whose carsharing concept, like other areas of the FreeNow joint venture, is currently under review. Additionally, it was stated that there is no free parking available for electric cars and that the charging network is not sufficiently developed.

"The offering in the capital city is considerable with several thousand vehicles, which suggests that Berlin remains a highly interesting market for this segment," the Berlin Senate administration responded, according to the industry service. The administration also does not consider the waiver of parking fees for free-floating carsharing of any drive type to be a sensible traffic policy. It fears a misdirection and an incentive to use private cars as well as an increase in the traffic searching for parking spots in residential areas.

According to the report, the aim is a mix of public transport, cycling, walking, and carsharing, but its exact contribution and role are still not clearly defined. The Senate also rejected the accusation of an insufficiently developed charging network, referring to the current 1,150 charging points, which are expected to grow to 2,000 connections by 2022. Some of these will be installed on street lamps and will be generally accessible regardless of the provider, the Senate further stated.