Full-electric Volkswagen WeShare service launched in Berlin

Initially, the service area of WeShare will cover about 150km² – in the city centre and beyond the city train ring line. Later, the area will be extended in line with the expansion of the fleet. Upon the launch of the system, customers can benefit from an attractive tariff of 19 cents per minute. From September tariffs in three categories are to be offered at an average price per minute of 29 cents.

“With WeShare, we have tailored car sharing to meet the needs of users: easy to use with 100 per cent electric operation on green power,” said Christian Senger, Volkswagen Board Member for Digital Car and Services, in Berlin. “With such a consistent, broad offering, we stand out from the competition. We are well-positioned to participate in the expanding car sharing market.”

Customers will need to have a smart phone and credit card, to be at least 21 years old, to have held a driving license for at least one year and to be registered at an address in Germany.

WeShare will recharge its fleet on the public charging network in Berlin, including newly created charging points at 70 branches of food retailers Lidl and Kaufland. Volkswagen recently concluded a partnership agreement with these Schwarz Group companies to safeguard the operation of its electric fleet and to forge ahead with the expansion of charging infrastructure in public spaces within the framework of its e-mobility offensive.

Following the launch of the system, the WeShare vehicles will be collected and charged by WeShare service employees when the battery level is low. In later operation, users will receive incentives for recharging vehicles themselves.

The number of car sharing users in Germany has increased 14-fold since 2010. Only about 180,000 people were registered as car sharing users in 2010 and the number had grown to 2.46 million by the beginning of this year.