German automaker Volkswagen has just taken electric ridesharing a step further, with the unveiling of an all-electric ride-pooling vehicle. The six-passenger car by MOIA, the company’s year-old mobility wing, will be unveiled today at the TechCrunch Disrupt show in Berlin, accompanied by the mission “One Million Cars Off the Road”.
The car will launch as part of a full mobility ecosystem in Hamburg next year, according to MOIA CEO Ole Harms. The country aims to reach its million-car goal by 2025.
“We want to create a solution for the typical transport problems that cities face, such as traffic, air and noise pollution, and lack of space, while simultaneously helping them reach their sustainability goals,” said Harms. “In a short time, we’ve laid the groundwork to add a new mobility component to the urban mix.”
The car, which Volkswagen claims is the “only worldwide electric ride pooling six seater”, was completed in just ten months at Volkwagen’s facility in Osnabrück, near Germany’s western border with the Netherlands. It includes a customer app with which passengers can book and pay for a ride.
A pooling algorithm groups passengers with similar destinations together for maximum efficiency. In-ride features include dimmable reading lights and USB ports.
“Together with MOIA and VW Osnabrück, we are redefining car manufacturing,” said Eckhard Scholz, from the Executive Board of Volkswagen Commercial Vehicles. “We are very proud of the fact that we were able to build a new car specifically tailored to the needs of ride pooling in just ten months.”