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City of Paris and Europcar fight for Autolib' trade name

The story of the Paris' easy EV rental project, dubbed Autolib', is not a bed of roses. First of all, there were continuous delays announcing the specifics of the service. Finally, we found out it would consist of 3,000 cars that will be available 24/7 at a cost of €5 per half an hour. Now, the biggest problem is a legal complaint by Europcar that states that before the city of Paris announced the Autolib' service, Europcar had already registered a brand called Autoliberté (Autofreedom) for short-time rentals at multiple ... Read more →

Paris business district will test self-driving NEVs in busy square Xavier Navarro

If you think that crossing la Défense square on foot is tiring, you'll be glad to know that you might soon be able to do it while sleeping. How, you ask? Because Paris' largest business ...

Peugeot BB1 spotted in its natural habitat...France [w/VIDEO] Domenick Yoney

After enduring some amount of scorn and ridicule at the recently held Frankfurt Motor Show, the bizarre (and we're being kind) BB1 concept from Peugeot hasn't quietly disappeared graciously from ...

Bientôt Electrique Association offers plug-in kit for the Prius Xavier Navarro

The French pro-EV association, Bientôt Electrique (which means "electric soon") is offering a kit, guaranteed for two-years, that converts a regular Toyota Prius into a plug-in hybrid. The ...

Daimler picks France for full-scale all-electric smart ed prodution in 2012 Sebastian Blanco

Full-scale production of the all-electric smart ed will kick off in Hambach, France in 2012, the same place where small series production will start next month. Daimler announced today that it ...

France issues 14 Commandments to speed up electric vehicle adoptions 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The French minister for Environmental Alffairs, Jean-Louis Borloo, has found some stone tablets issued a set of 14 "commandments" for the successful introduction of electric vehicles in France. Borloo didn't hide the fact that he aims to make the French auto industry the leader in EV ...

Opel will offer two factory-installed LPG models, Meriva and Corsa, in France 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The least alternative of the alternative fuels – LPG (Liquefied Petroleum Gas) – has received some good news in the expanding market in France: Opel has decided to sell two factory-converted models there. The chosen models are the Corsa and the Meriva, even though the latter will be ...

Rumormill: PSA to build Bolloré's BlueCar/B0? 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

2008 Pininfarina B0 concept, the basis for the Bluecar - Click above for high-res image gallery Since Pininfarina is going through some rough times,the French press is speculating about what Bolloré is going to do about manufacturing the BlueCar. According to Ouest-France, Bolloré ...

France to spend €2.5 billion to jump start EV deployment 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

The French government has announced a ten-year, €2.5 billion program to jump-start vehicle electrification in the country. Energy minister Jean-Louis Borloo said that the money would be disbursed for incentives for the production and purchase of plug-in vehicles as well as upgrading ...

New train-sponsored carpool system comes to Paris 2 months ago on Autoblog Green

SNCF, the public company that manages the French railway system, has launched a new carpool service. Aimed at people who live in the large Paris metropolitan area and use the commuter train system, Transilien, to go to work, the idea is to get more people to use fewer cars because most stations have ...

Smart ED on view in Paris soon, but driving one will have to wait 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

2009 Smart ED - Click above for high-res image gallery Parisians will be able to meet the smart ED in person from September 11-16 at the city Hôtel de Ville (City Hall). Despite persistent rumors of the car becoming part of a public car sharing service in Paris (a project that seems to ...

France extends "cash for clunkers" scheme for two additional years 3 months ago on Autoblog Green

The French minister of Economic Affairs, Christine Lagarde, has announced that the country's current cash-for-clunkers scheme, called prime à la casse, will be extended for two additional years. The initial plan was to end the program by the end of this year, but the government believes ...

France's carbon tax proposal means gas, diesel prices expected to jump 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

Former French Prime Minister Michel Rocard has introduced his final proposal for a carbon tax, which was one of the star measures announced as "Grenelle de l'environnement." Called "Contribution climat-énergie," the proposal will charge CO2 emitters €32 per metric ton in 2010. This ...

Follow-up: Toyota may not produce hybrid Yaris after all 4 months ago on Autoblog Green

A Toyota insider is countering yesterday's report that the automaker is planning a Yaris-based hybrid to be built in France. Such a vehicle would be unnecessary, according to the unnamed source. Today's Toyota Yaris is already a fuel miser. The European variant is currently quipped with a ...

Fiat's eco:Drive wins award for defining new car-driver relationship 5 months ago on Autoblog Green

Ever hear of an advertising award given to a piece of software that helps drivers save gas at the pumps? That's what Fiat's eco:Drive recently did, and the organizers of the Cannes Cyber Lions, a major event in the advertising industry, didn't praise the software's ability to analyze driver ...

The best of the French low-carbon auto industry displayed at the Ministry of Environmental Affairs 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

The parking spaces at the French Ministry of Environmental affairs was recently filled with alternative cars in many flavors. The alt-fuel vehicles were introduced to Jean-Louis Borloo, the French Environmental Minister and are the results of a €57 million investment from ADEME (The French ...

Heuliez Friendly EV another step closer; two purchasers interested in company 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

Last April, coachbuilder and hopeful electric vehicle manufacturer Heuliez got payment protection at a French court in order to fix its financial status. Since then, two offers to purchase the company have been placed, the first by France Industrie Participations and the second one by Bernard ...

France: €250 million to develop EVs 6 months ago on Autoblog Green

If you have an electric vehicle startup and want some government funds, perhaps you should consider relocating to France. The French Industry Secretary of State, Luc Châtel, has announced subsidies and cheap loans for companies developing EVs and EV-related equipment totaling €250 ...

L'automobile publishes own list of less polluting cars 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

One of France's most prestigious car magazines, l'Automobile, believes that considering CO2 as the only pollutant to adapt legislation is unfair. Hence the magazine editors came up their own list that includes all pollutants coming from the exhaust pipe. The list is actually pretty harsh on small ...

CO2-based tax has already affected the average French car 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

French car magazine Argus has published a French car market report since 1953 that has never shown negative figures. That is, from 1953 to 2007, the average car sold in France was always larger, more powerful, with more engine displacement and more expensive than the average car from the year ...

Buy a villa, get a free Tesla Roadster 7 months ago on Autoblog Green

Maybe this post would be more appropriate for our sibling blog, Luxist, but hey, we all love to dream. There is a pharaonic golf estate project in development in France called "Welcome in France." It includes plenty of villas, the kind often reserved for the elites of the world. Although its exact ...

Paris' electric vehicle car-sharing system put on hold 8 months ago on Autoblog Green

Paris mayor Bertrand Delanoë announced an all-new EV public rental service, called Auto'lib, one year ago. Inspired by successful public bike rental system Ve'lib and the German Car2Go system (pictured above), the idea was that you could rent an electric car for short trips in the city. ...

Paris tests a new hybrid bus that uses ultracapacitors 8 months ago on Autoblog Green

RATP, the public-owned company that manages most of Paris' public transport system, is currently performing tests using a hybrid bus outfitted with ultracapacitors. For now, the test buses are passenger-free. The model, called Lion's City Hybrid, is supplied by German manufacturer MAN and the ...

Tesla Roadster races 387 km (240 miles) on a single charge in France, Monaco 8 months ago on Autoblog Green

Not long ago, the guys at Top Gear had the chance to enjoy a Tesla Roadster (sadly, the video of that much-discussed event is no longer available). Two things Jeremy Clarkston and crew criticized were the Tesla's range and brakes. The Roadster has now made a strong counter-claim about its range. ...

Ethanol coming to French gas stations, but resistance is loud 8 months ago on Autoblog Green

In April, France will start selling ethanol blended at a 10 percent ratio into unleaded gasoline (aka, E10). This is two years in advance of when the European mandatory biofuel blends come into effect. France might need the extra time, since it is not looking like it will be an easy transition. For ...

Paris launches online map of EV charging stations 9 months ago on Autoblog Green

You might expect a city's future (or current) EV charging network to be quite dense. I think it's also reasonable to expect charging stations to be easy to find. Paris now makes this a reality. If you look at the map above, which can be found on the City Hall's official webpage, you can see that ...

Brazil having a hard time selling its biodiesel in Europe 9 months ago on Autoblog Green

Brazil's President Inázio Lula da Silva visited Europe not long ago and he promoted the benefits of Brazilian biodiesel in France and Spain. This might have seemed like a good idea, if it weren't for the fact that Spain's biggest oil company, Repsol, had just frozen the construction of a new ...

Do you want an electric ride? Paris will give you ?400 to head to the store 9 months ago on Autoblog Green

Do you live in Paris and want to buy a two-wheeled EV? If so, you are eligible to receive €400 (or up to 25 percent of the purchase price) for an all-electric scooter. You might wonder which electric scooter models are currently available in France. There's the neo-retro eSolex, a few EVTs ...

Renault says electric cars won't happen without government help 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

French automakers Renault, Peugeot and Citroën have already taken government assistance worth $11.8 billion. Renault, which accepted a $3.9 billion loan, is now saying that without more government help - like purchase price subsidies of €5,000 per vehicle and a waiver on the taxes ...

Video: Interview with Cyril Lacroix about the Heuliez Friendly 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

Introduced last fall during the Paris Motor Show, the Heuliez Friendly is a French electric car with promising and realistic intentions. Heuliez is known for making short series of cars (such as the Opel Tigra TwinTop) and the retractable tops of Peugeots, so it's not a total newcomer to the auto ...

MINI succumbs to the green labels trend and introduces MINIMALISM 10 months ago on Autoblog Green

BMW has announced a new green label for MINI cars. It's called, wait for it, MINIMALISM. Similar to many other eco labels in other European markets, MINIMALISM can be found on cars that would otherwise be the base model with a few additional improvements that reduce fuel consumption. The first MINI ...

France to fund research for electronic tolls, er, to fight congestion at toll booths 11 months ago on Autoblog Green

If you happen to drive on toll road with some regularity, you've probably noticed that the electronic payment systems that allow drivers to pass through without stopping to insert a card or cash are becoming more common. The good news is that these E-Z-pay options help make toll plazas a bit more ...

France will require scooter drivers to get special training 11 months ago on Autoblog Green

Back in the late '90s, many European countries decided to allow car drivers, those with a B license, to drive scooters up to 125 cc. This was an effort to ease congestion. However, France has decided to partially overturn this measure. Although scooters account for 1.1 percent of all the traffic in ...

France updates its bonus/malus tax system 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

Although the French Minister of Economy complained about the reduction in taxes when the bonus/malus system started in France, the whole scheme is only now getting some changes. How does the system work? When you purchase a car, you have to pay an additional tax (malus) if the car produces too much ...

Skepticism about MDI's AirCar FlowAir promises 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

One of France's most prestigious auto magazines, L'Auto Journal, has published a very skeptical and critical report about Guy Nègre's MDI compressed air car, whether we call it the AirCar or FlowAir. The article (not available online) makes quite a number of arguments against MDI and the ...

Paris 2008: Heuliez, Michelin and Orange wrap a revolution in a plain package 1 year ago on Autoblog Green

French coachbuilder Heuliez, along with Michelin and Orange™, have brought with them to the 2008 Paris Motor Show a most unremarkable-looking car. (My apologies to fans of the Opel Agila) And that's the point. The WILL (pictured above) is meant to seem "familiar and friendly" even though its ...

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