Hail a ride from your smartphone, wait at the curb at the specified time, get into the car that drops you off at your destination, after using the automatic payment system. Or, still from your smartphone, rent a car for a short period, then leave it where it's parked, use it and leave it again in the same place, or somewhere else, depending on your needs... These new mobility solutions are already available today with ride-hailing and car-sharing services.
The emergence of new uses is a real opportunity for vehicle manufacturers who are keen to expand their offering and to market mobility services as well as passenger cars. While paving the way for the arrival of driverless robo-vehicles.
Patrick Vergelas, Head of Renault Mobility Services with the A-CMS (Alliance Connected Car & Mobility Services), explains how Groupe Renault is getting ready for this revolution, planned for 2022.
"For 121 years, Renault has been at the forefront of innovation, developing mobility that is efficient, cleaner, safer, more comfortable and more convenient. The world is changing and our vision is to continue innovating in order to deliver sustainable mobility for all, now and in the future.
Groupe Renault's road map comprises two main strands. From today, we are upping the pace in developing on-demand mobility services and promoting sustainable, electric, shared mobility for both individuals and businesses. Looking beyond this, Groupe Renault and Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi are developing the technologies and partnerships necessary to begin operating autonomous robo-vehicles from 2022.
Acquiring a global understanding of the value chain in future autonomous mobility services
In the field of ride-hailing, we have made investments through our banking subsidiary RCI Bank & Services, by acquiring Karhoo, a reservation platform grouping taxi and ride-hailing services, as well as the start-ups Marcel and Yuso. Marcel is a Paris-based ride-hailing service while Yuso is a real-time fleet dispatch management system.
In the field of car-sharing, where users can rent a car for short periods of time as needed. Renault is active through partnerships such as GreenMobility and ZITY, and also independently, through Renault Mobility and RCI Mobility. With Renault Mobility, individuals can rent a car whenever required, and businesses can share some of their fleet vehicles, in order to optimize their utilization rate. The app may also allow rental for private evening or weekend use, if the company so wishes. Since Fall 2018, we also have launched Moov’in by Renault in Paris. An electric car sharing service through free floating.
In the technical field, we have formed a partnership with Transdev. Two tests are currently under way, with six Renault Zoé vehicles in Paris-Saclay and Rouen. We are currently looking at the best way to expand these tests and open them up to more users, prior to the commercial launch of a service of this type. We have extended these experiments within Paris Autonomous Lab in Saclay, with our Zoe Cab.
This approach by Groupe Renault involves many different external partners: large companies, start-ups, public bodies, etc. This open innovation mindset is essential if we are to acquire a global understanding of the technologies in the value chain of future autonomous mobility services. "
