It is scarcely a secret that electric cars have so far had nothing like the impact for which their creators, as well as clean transport advocates, had hoped. In most markets, sales are measured in hundreds rather than thousands.
Those buyers who have come forward are largely from wealthy families looking for a second car which can take advantage of local taxation breaks – exemption from the weekday congestion charge operated in London, for example. Most, however, remain deterred by the cost and range of EVs.
But the civic authorities in the Korean capital, Seoul, may have come up with a scheme that could give EV sales a push while helping to reduce the city’s notorious air pollution and traffic congestion. Seoul City has introduced a pay-as-you-go EV hire scheme similar to that operated for bicycles in many cities: members of the scheme can select a vehicle from a collection/drop-off point, insert a card into a slot, drive for as long as they need – within the range capabilities of the car – and leave it at another collection/drop-off point once finished.
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]Seoul City has introduced a pay-as-you-go EV hire scheme similar to that operated for bicycles in many cities
The scheme was launched earlier this year with a wide demographic of 1,000 volunteers selected for their openness to new ideas. By next year it will involve 25,000 Seoul citizens and 500 cars based at 200 locations. The Seoul authorities have paid for the standard and fast-charge posts to be installed, and there are four agencies operating the cars, helped by local and national government grants which reduce the cost of buying by two-thirds.
Kia, for example, is supplying 200 units of its experimental Ray EV to the scheme. If available on the open market, these cars would retail at 45,000,000 Korean won (around US$41,000) each. The agencies involved in the Seoul hire programme pay only 15,000,000 won (US$13,500).
Membership of the scheme is free, and participants pay between US$5 and US$10 an hour to use a car, plus a small amount for electricity. A smartphone app shows where there are cars available and allows members to reserve one.
[quote align=”center” color=”#999999″]Kia is supplying 200 units of its experimental Ray EV to the scheme. If available on the open market, these cars would retail at 45,000,000 Korean won (around US$41,000) each. The agencies involved in the Seoul hire programme pay only 15,000,000 won (US$13,500)
It could be argued that what is happening in Seoul is a mere drop in the ocean. After all, 25,000 people represent little more than one thousandth of Seoul’s population; and many large cities have good public transport networks to cater for this kind of need.
But were an entrepreneurial organisation or collective of national and local government agencies to decide to extend the idea to provincial cities, where public transport is not so comprehensive, they could use their joint bargaining power to buy EV fleets and the infrastructure to support them at reduced cost, and plough any profits back into more cars and charging posts.
People would have the freedom and privacy of their own transport based purely on need, reducing the number of cars coming into cities. At a local level at least, those cars would have zero emissions. And for the OEMs already producing EVs, and those about to start doing so and wondering where the buyers will come from, it would come as a huge relief.
The opinions expressed here are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the positions of Automotive World Ltd.
Roger Stansfield is a freelance automotive industry journalist based in London. He covers all aspects of the automotive industry, with a particular focus on future technology.
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