Some say that the doctors who most knowledge have are forensics, but their wisdom is no good to cure anyone. The same applies to many mobility experts: they know a lot, but they are unable to solve the problems that are facing our day-to-day movements. In most cases, these experts are limited to recommending limits to mobility, either by limiting access or by reducing the speed of displacement. Such solutions do not require much wisdom.
In the car, we find experts and “gurus” of all trends and not a few forecasters of the future. Anyone who takes the trouble of going to an Ameritech and digs into the forecasts that were made 25 or 30 years ago may have a laughing attack.
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| The key and its current success is that these shared vehicles are entirely electrical |
Today, already widely outnumbered the beginning of the century, neither cars fly, nor drive themselves, nor are they moved by atomic energy, nor are they electromagnetically levitated. All these assumptions were abundant in the media of the 1960s, however unable to predict the Internet, the mobile phone or the GPS. Today's cars are the same as those on the roads 50 years ago.
Shared cars, excellent alternative
The key and its current success is that these shared vehicles are entirely electrical
That is infinitely better roads and much safer, efficient and environmentally friendly cars. I begin with these reflections because there is a lot of talk about mobility and the use of means of transport these days. The next elections are not outside this proliferation of messages to shape political programmes that the various parties are trying to move voters.
Programmes developed as lightly as the forecasts of 50 years ago. Some people want to ban certain fuel; some people say that they will return transit at the centre of cities that other parties reduce; there are no shortages of the enemies of personal mobility and those who believe that the bicycle will solve the problems of transport and pollution in our cities. All proposals have their part of the reason and all parties seem reasonable “forensics” from a situation near the terminal.
A lot of talks and little solution. An interesting fact emerges in this cluster of proposals and opinions: the Carsharing, the shared vehicle. This system of personal mobility has been operating in Madrid for two years and we have had an opportunity to talk with the employers of the company (@emov_es), a pioneer in this activity and now owned by the PSA group, The success of this activity has led to the arrival of other similar companies: car2go (@car2goes), City (@Zity) and Wible (@wible_sp). Sharing the car is not something new, although in Spain it was very unusual.
The key and its current success is that these shared vehicles are entirely electrical, allowing them to benefit from two advantages: to move without restrictions and to park free of charge anywhere regulated. A third advantage is certainly the driving of an electric, silent, soft and enormously agile electric vehicle in urban traffic. As almost all the activities that have been shared recently proliferate in the economic environment (accommodation, purchase-sale, restoration … etc.), it is through computer application as we can carry out.
Each of the four companies operating in Madrid has its application, but there is one, free2move, which allows all of them to be used, which is a huge advantage. This application is operational not only for cars but bicycles, motorcycles and electric monofilaments. Once the application is installed and linked to a credit card, the use of these vehicles is simple: a map with the location of the nearest available cars is on our mobile.
Chosen one, and from the cell phone itself, we reserve it. The reserve lasts between 15 and 30 minutes, depending on which company we use. This time has no cost. Once we get to the vehicle, we open it with the phone itself. We put the key in contact … and circulate. They are automatic cars, 2 to 5 places, some of them have children's chairs.
The rate also varies slightly from one to another, but an average 5 kilometres route and a quarter of an hour do not reach EUR 5 under normal traffic conditions. Much less than a taxi and even less than collective transport if two or more people use it. Once the car parked (we insist that in any approved and regulated area), we have a cell phone itself terminated the rent. We put the contact key into the glove compartment (or in space intended for it) and the application closed the car. The only thing to be looked at is autonomy.
These cars don't have the announcement.
The responsible, who use the Citroën C-Zero, have confessed to us that the average autonomy of their cars is about 100 kilometres when the manufacturer announces 150. At the time of rental, we have the autonomy offered by the reserved car and the instrument indicator also indicates autonomy in real-time. But, we insist, it is not a very reliable fact and we must try not to get close to the limits.
It should also be borne in mind that not the entire city of Madrid is open to the use of these vehicles. Or to be more precise, we can go wherever we want (with the above-mentioned limit of autonomy), but it cannot be recruited and cannot be left beyond these limits. A pretty large limit, which adds up about 100 square kilometres and which we could define as the inside of the M-30 and some peripheral neighbourhoods, such as Moratalaz, Lineal City or Hortaliza.
You can't go to the airport at the moment, but it's something you're studying with AENA. These limits of action are determined by the logistical complexity faced by the Carsharing companies. Cars must not only be loaded enough but in good condition of cleaning and maintenance.
That means that we have to reload them every day and even before and this is an operation that forces the movement of cars to the recharge points and a remarkable time to complete the electrical charge. As we were told in Emove, between 3 and 5 hours and about 10 trips per day each unit. The use of carsharing is more than recommendable.
But not only for the people of Madrid, but for the thousands of visitors. It is not available at the moment but in the capital, but there are projects for Barcelona and possibly Malaga, where a pilot programme was already launched last year with enormous success. We, retirees, tend to have some respect to prove these solutions.
But I assure you, there's nothing more comfortable and easier. And more recommendable for those who come to Madrid from tourism or to perform any management. In the rush hours, the service is indeed more requested and it is easy for us to find a nearby unit, but in the central almond and outside the rush hours, there are hundreds of vehicles available. There is only a lower application to see the proliferation of reserve points.
And the price even encourages to test, because for a couple of euros we can have the experience of driving an electric. Cheer up. And I do not want to finish this text without mentioning that carsharing is also offered as an alternative to purchasing. I mean, we can offer our vehicle to be driven by other people in the time we don't need it. It's an interesting funding formula that's already exploring some marks
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