Mayor of Indianapolis Greg Ballard and Bollore Group Chairman Vincent Bollore presented today to the press and the people of Indianapolis BlueIndy, the 100 percent electric carsharing service.
The Mayor of Indianapolis chose to align this event with the opening of the Electric Drive Transportation Association (EDTA) conference. EDTA usually holds its yearly conference in Washington, DC, but this year chose Indianapolis, renowned city in the automotive industry, primarily because of the BlueIndy launch.
The Bollore Group will invest approximately $35 million in Indianapolis for a momentous project which will result in the largest electric car sharing service in the United States. For the first time, Bollore Group will export outside of France its end-to-end electric carsharing solution. The service is based on the successful Autolib’ in Paris, Bluely in Lyon and Bluecub in Bordeaux, which complement public transportation offerings and improve French citizens’ mobility.
The BlueIndy service, which will open within eight months, will include up to 500 electric vehicles and 200 service locations fitted with 1,000 charging stations.
Mayor Ballard, who in 2012 announced his goal of promoting energy security by reducing the reliance on foreign oil, said, “This is an unprecedented announcement. Electric vehicles and car sharing are the future. Bollore, one of the world’s largest companies, will replicate its successful service outside of France and bring to the City the benefits of an innovative, economical and environmentally friendly mode of transportation. Indianapolis is breaking new grounds and hopes to lead the way for other U.S. cities.”
Vincent Bollore stated, “The Bollore Group is proud to bring its unique technology know-how and operations excellence in electric vehicle sharing to Indianapolis, a city so strongly associated with automotive racing. We are glad to support Mayor Ballard’s energy-transition vision. From now on, residents and visitors of Indianapolis will be able to drive around without owning a car and without emitting greenhouse gases or particulate matter.”
The electric car sharing service is a forward-looking solution for cities around the world. The Bollore Group has already deployed nearly 3,000 Bluecars equipped with Blue Solutions batteries. Through its range of applications, Blue Solutions is the ideal partner to help cities and regions carry out “smart city” strategies.
