that vehicle or another would be available for that purpose . Vehicles are parking spots would be located by a smart phone app .
In the days ( years ?) ahead , driverless vehicles could be a significant characteristic of an IOF , thereby allowing users to hail a vehicle and wait for its arrival .
Such IOF systems are , in fact , in use . Some systems use bicycles ( Citibank has such a bicycle fleet in New York City ) and some use electric scooters . Of course , electric automobiles are part of the market as well . One of the largest enterprises in this regard is the Blue Solutions subsidiary of logistics and transportation giant , the Bollore Group . Until recently the company provided ride sharing services in Paris [ The Paris operation was recently terminated because of a lack of profitability . The company was seeking subsidies from the Paris city government , which were declined . While the Bollore enterprise may be out , the city has thrown open a bidding process for the same sort of system to all interested parties .], and in several other French cities . The company also has a system up and running in Indianapolis .
OK , so what does this have to do with gated and planned communities ? The first point to be made is that mobility as an individualized service , replacing vehicle ownership , is rapidly taking hold . And the second point is that gated communities are potentially good environments for IOF systems .
Would gated communities offer a favorable environment for an IOF operation ?
In so many ways , the answer has to be in the affirmative . First , there are residents who have trouble driving and are not well-attuned to golf car maintenance . These folks would be obvious participants in an IOF system . Second , other residents might find the IOF vehicle down the block very handy for in-village transportation . For example , pick up of groceries would be an easy round trip from the parking station to the market , back to home , and then a short jump to repark .
It should noted that while distributed parking slots would be part of the system , with the advent of autonomous systems , a centralized parking system could also be established . ( If you are in a gated community with one or several golf courses , this sort of centralized parking system is already in place .) In this case the app feature on the smart phone would be used to call a golf cartype vehicle to your doorstep . You would then step in , do your errands , return to your abode , and direct the vehicle to return to central parking . There , of course , the vehicle would be recharged and otherwise maintained as needed .
What would you do if …?
Bollore ’ s BlueIndy electric ride share vehicle
Based on a Bloomberg story , dated May 2014 , the company provided 500 vehicles and 1,000 charging stations in 200 locations . The Bollore Group invested $ 35 million in the project , while Indianapolis Power & Light contributed $ 16 million for the charging station network .
By the way , this has some interesting performance characteristics . Blue Solutions has developed a lithium metal polymer ( LMP ) battery , delivering 30 kWh of power , a service life in excess of 3,000 charge cycles , a range of 200 + kilometers ( well over 100 miles ), and a top speed of about 80 mph . It was the LMP technology that incentivized the forward integration into mobility applications .
Were such a system in place , would you be favorably inclined to give up your personally-owned golf car ( not your conventional vehicle ) and use the services of an IOF ? If you like , contact me at smetzger @ smallvehicleresource . com and let me know .
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The Paris operation was recently terminated because of a lack of profitability . The company was seeking subsidies from the Paris city government , which were declined . While the Bollore enterprise may be out , the city has thrown open a bidding process for the same sort of system to all interested parties .
Contact Steve at smetzger @ smallvehicleresource . com . Or check out our website at www . smallvehicleresource . com , where you will find an extensive database of vehicle models and can make side-by-side comparisons of vehicles based on a full set of specifications .
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