Founded 2011 | Number of locations See Cities Website Drive-Now.com | |
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Type Private (GmbH & Co. KG) CEO Sebastian Hofelich (1 Jul 2015–), Nico Gabriel (May 2011–) Profiles | ||
DriveNow is a joint venture between BMW and Sixt that provides carsharing services in several European cities. DriveNow service began in Munich Germany in June 2011. As of September 2015, DriveNow operates over 4,000 vehicles in five countries worldwide and with over 500,000 customers.
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The service previously operated in San Francisco, but was since closed. A similar BMW service, ReachNow which is focused on North American cities, was established in April 2016 in Seattle, Washington, Portland, Oregon and Brooklyn, New York. Through January 2017, ReachNow had over 40,000 members.
Cities
The following table details all cities where DriveNow operates:
Business model
The DriveNow business model is similar in all markets although rates vary between the countries. Car rentals are charged by a per minute rate with one-off fees for pick-up or drop-off at airports. Discounted rates for parked car, multi-hour usage and daily usage are also available. The company charges a one-time registration fee, but there is no monthly charge. The rates are all-inclusive and cover rental, gas, charging, insurance, parking (in authorized areas) and maintenance. In most markets, DriveNow vehicles can park in either specially designated parking spots, or in standard parking areas, with a special permit from the local municipality.
Vehicles
DriveNow operates a variety of gasoline-powered BMW 1 Series, BMW X1 and Mini vehicles as well the electric-powered BMW i3 and BMW ActiveE. In the San Francisco Bay Area, DriveNow deployed a fleet of 70 BMW ActiveE electric cars in June 2012.
Apps
First-party apps for mobile devices allow users to locate and reserve vehicles. When reserving a car online, the customers are able to see the car's fuel gauge (gasoline-powered cars) or the battery's state of charge (electric-powered cars), so if the customer wants to go for an extended drive, they can find the right car for that trip.