Smart car2go

11th January 2010

Smart chose to launch its Car2Go scheme at the Detroit Motor Show - which aims to put city drivers behind the wheel of its cars without them actually needing to own the vehicle outright.

Touted as a novel ownership scheme aimed at people who need the convenience of being able to quickly access a car, but don't want the hassle of outright ownership, Car2Go was first launched in Berlin.

The system sees drivers buy a special chip and pin card, which is preloaded with "credits" that buy time behind the wheel in minute long blocks.

Drivers then simply book a car, either via the telephone or online when they will be given the location of an available vehicle, which they can then access and start with their chip and pin card.

While the system is not yet available in the UK, parent firm Mercedes says it is looking at bringing it to London.

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