Swiss carsharing platform drivemycar has announced that 10% of its portfolio will now consist of microcars after the new form factor was recently added to its fleet.
Microlinos will be integrated using Cloudboxx – the carsharing telematics solution from drivemycar’s tech partner Invers.
With the addition of 30 microcars to its fleet, drivemycar aims to narrow the gap between micromobility vehicles and full-size cars to appeal to a broader market.
“Microcars are ideal for urban transport where parking space is limited and the demand for compact, efficient transport solutions is high,” Metin Kabay, Co-Founder, COO and CTO of drivemycar told Zag Daily.
“These vehicles offer an environmentally friendly alternative and are particularly appealing to younger city dwellers and people who only need a vehicle for short journeys.”
Smaller than traditional cars, microcars are often 4-wheeler or 3-wheeler vehicles. Adding smaller vehicles to a carsharing platform may seem counterintuitive at first as they offer less capacity per ride, but Metin explained how this will enable the platform to serve a new purpose.
“Microcars open up new possibilities for single journeys or journeys with a maximum of two people. They are less intended for traditional car sharing, but rather for users looking for a fast, easily accessible and inexpensive vehicle for short journeys,” Metin said.
Merlin Ouboter, Co-Founder of Microlino AG, also explained the benefit of adding microcars to the fleet and paid particular attention to the reduced environmental footprint they offer.
“Currently, full-size cars weighing 1-3 tonnes occupy substantial public space, necessitating more and more urban areas for highways, lanes, and parking,” he said. “Despite this approximately 80 percent of trips by these vehicles only transport a single person.
“Their environmental footprint, whether electric or not, is much higher than the footprint of an electric L7e microcar.”
It is anticipated that the addition of microcars will particularly appeal to those who want the sustainable benefits of a micromobility vehicle but also the comfort and privacy of a car.
“We are seeing a growing number of user requests for small cars to save space and energy, so we decided to add Microlino to our offering”, Metin said.
