Enterprise Rent A Car, one of the world’s most successful car hire companies, has this week put their name to a new project. According to sources, the rental firm will invest both their time and money in purchasing, leasing, and servicing a fleet of autonomous vehicles, playing a key role in the latest autonomous-taxi business to enter the market.
As a US-based project, you may be thinking that self-driving projects are popping up everywhere nowadays. From large brands such as BMW and Volvo working on new technologies to innovative startups, is this niche market becoming too crowded? However, there is a striking difference regarding this project, with the taxis created being used to deliver door-to-door transport for 125,000 residents of a retirement community in Florida. Covering 40 square miles, these taxis will make the day-to-day lives of local residents that much easier; a scheme that has been credited by authorities and locals alike.
Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid MPVs
Utilising Chrysler Pacifica Hybrid MPVs, the fleet currently stands at 6. However, with major plans to roll this service out to more and more residents, the plan is to have at least ten self-drive vehicles out on the road before the end of the year.
“The lease allows Voyage to retrofit vehicles with our self-driving hardware,” said Cameron.
“When the lease term is up, we simply return the vehicle to Enterprise, and recycle any vehicle equity back into expanding our fleet.”
“World-class fleet management is fundamental to the long-term success of autonomous fleets,” said Brice Adamson, senior vice president at Enterprise Fleet Management.
Big plans for 2019
With massive plans to scale up by the end of 2019, we expect some big announcements over the course of the next few months. Let us know what you think, is this a good investment for Enterprise Rent A Car? Leave your thoughts and comments below.
