Europcar addresses urban mobility through CityMakers Program

Europcar Mobility Group is joining with insurance companies, car manufacturers, banks in the framework of the CityMakers Program.

Launched by Paris-based start-up accelerator Numa, the program brings together 19 mobility organisations including SMEs, start-ups and the City of Paris. It aims to identify obstacles to new forms of mobility while designing concrete solutions to overcome them.

As part of the CityMakers Program, partner teams addressed six challenges, all linked to urban mobility. Europcar Mobility Group participated in the following three challenges:

“How to give Ile de France residents confidence that mobility, other than public transport and private cars, will become everyday options?” alongside MAIF, Shell, Modalizy, Mobeelity and the City of Paris.

“How might we improve mobility policy by analyzing vehicle traffic in the city?” alongside FLIT technologies, RCI Bank and Services, Shell and the City of Paris.

“How can we provide a smooth charging experience so that ridesharing drivers can better optimize their daily work?” alongside Renault Group, Mapstr, Marcel, Newmotion and Shell.

One challenge addressed ways to improve electric vehicle recharging systems. This inspired an idea for a Station e•co - an electric recharging hub, located close to Place de la Bastille in Paris, is intended as a multi-serve site – offering loaner cars for the day, vehicle maintenance, F&B service - to optimise vehicle recharging time for users.

Europcar Mobility Group also participated in designing a ’Mobility pass’. This takes the form of a mobile app that can be used to pay for travel. The system is also intended to facilitate user mobility by putting forth environmentally-friendly means of transportation such as public transportation, car-, bicycle- and scooter-sharing, as well as carpooling.

This has been tested by Europcar Mobility Group employees and MAIF Start Up Club employees between November 2018 and January 2019.

Jehan de Thé, Public Affairs Director, Europcar Mobility Group, said: “We firmly believe in the need to develop alternative forms of mobility to best rise to the major urban mobility challenges and anticipate the needs and habits of tomorrow. For this to be possible, close collaboration among all stakeholders is a must. That is what our participation in the CityMakers Program is all about. We share the innovative spirit behind the initiative and are proud to be a CityMakers partner.”