Mercedes-Benz Mobility and BMW Group intend to promote their car-sharing three way partnership SHARE NOW to Stellantis. The three corporations not too long ago signed an settlement to this impact and agreed to not disclose the main points of the transaction. It’s also topic to the approval of the related antitrust authorities.
SHARE NOW was established in 2019 combines the DNA of car2go, which was developed by the previous Daimler AG, and DriveNow, the BMW Group’s providing. Collectively, each shareholders have developed SHARE NOW into the market chief in Europe and constantly developed it additional, together with new gives reminiscent of long-term automotive sharing.
With the acquisition of SHARE NOW, Stellantis’ mobility subsidiary Free2move would have the chance to develop its automotive sharing efforts additional in Europe. This proposed settlement will add 14 main European cities and 10,000 autos to Free2move’s present automotive sharing fleet of two,500 autos. Free2move additionally not too long ago introduced the acquisition of Opel Hire, accelerating its progress technique in Germany and Austria and pushing the transition from hire to mobility supplier.
In the meantime, it has accelerated its car-sharing growth in america, with service now accessible in Washington, D.C., Portland, Oregon, Denver, Colorado, Columbus, Ohio and Austin, Texas. Free2move additionally operates automotive sharing in Europe (Paris and Madrid).
The sale of the car-sharing subsidiary contributes to the realignment of the mobility joint ventures: Sooner or later, shareholders intend to focus on two central enterprise areas with excessive progress potential: digital multi-mobility (FREE NOW) and digital providers associated to the charging of electrical autos (CHARGE NOW).
We’re proud to have based the free-floating automotive sharing phase with car2go. Though Mercedes-Benz will focus extra strongly on its core enterprise within the luxurious phase, automotive sharing will stay an necessary a part of city mobility and a necessary aspect within the mobility supply at FREE NOW. With FREE NOW and CHARGE NOW, we’re specializing in two progress segments that may proceed to supply our clients your complete vary of mobility providers sooner or later and assist the growth of electrical mobility.
—Gero Götzenberger, Director of Technique and Investments at Mercedes-Benz Mobility
The mobility joint ventures have been pioneers in Europe—FREE NOW and CHARGE NOW have been very profitable in constructing a software program platform for as many gamers as potential of their respective segments. With the apps of FREE NOW and CHARGE NOW, we wish to present our clients with a complete and wide selection of digital providers. The brand new orientation allows us to scale our actions quicker and thus to attain additional worthwhile progress within the shortest potential time.
—Rainer Feurer, Head of Company Investments on the BMW Group
FREE NOW is a pioneer of multimodal mobility with its digital Mobility-as-a-Service platform. The corporate gives entry to nearly 180,000 autos in additional than 150 cities within the FREE NOW app by means of its companion community. With one click on customers can attain the biggest choice of autos in Europe, from e-scooters to e-bikes, e-mopeds and automotive sharing to taxis and chauffeured autos. FREE NOW thus meets the rising want of shoppers to have the ability to select the easiest way from A to B freely with a mobility app. The rising integration of public transport and the implementation of a mobility funds final yr exhibit the aimed progress perspective of the multimodal mobility app.
In 2021, FREE NOW recorded sturdy progress figures within the multimodal sector—i.e. e-scooters, e-bikes, e-mopeds and automotive sharing—and was capable of nearly triple the variety of transactions in comparison with the earlier yr regardless of the pandemic. This yr, FREE NOW is additional increasing its multi-mobility providing—additionally within the area of automotive sharing: The autos of SIXT share, Miles and SHARE NOW will be booked by way of the app.
A complete of ten new mobility companions might be built-in on the platform in 2022, creating additional mobility choices for the present 56.8 million customers. Within the first quarter of 2022, FREE NOW’s transactions grew by a complete of 31.4% in comparison with the identical quarter of the earlier yr, displaying a powerful progress development.
