Ford has announced the start of the new Peer-2-Peer Car Sharing program that will give customers the ability to rent their financed vehicles to other drivers. The new car sharing program is part of Ford’s Smart Mobility plan that was introduced earlier this year and will give owners the ability to offset some of their vehicle’s monthly costs. Ford Smart Mobility is the company’s plan to deliver the next level in connectivity, mobility and autonomous vehicles.
Six months after the launch of the new plan, Ford is now entering the next phase with two new strategic areas – flexible use and ownership of vehicles, and multimodal urban travel solutions. The Peer-2-Peer Car Sharing program will launch as a pilot program for select customers in six U.S. cities and in London. Ford Credit is inviting 14,000 and 12,000 customers to sign up to rent their Ford Credit-financed vehicles to prescreened drivers for short-term use, offsetting monthly vehicle ownership costs. U.S. customers participate through the ride-share company Getaround, while London drivers connect through a similar rental system of easyCar Club.
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“Consumers tell us they are interested in sharing the costs of vehicle ownership, and this program will help us understand how much that extends to customers who are financing a Ford vehicle,” said David McClelland, Ford Credit vice president of marketing. “As most vehicles are parked and out of use much of the time, this can help us gauge our customers’ desires to pick up extra cash and keep their vehicles in use.”
In the U.S. the pilot is being offered to Ford Credit customers in California – including Berkeley, Oakland and San Francisco; as well as in Portland, Oregon; Chicago and Washington, D.C. It runs through November.
In addition to the new car sharing program, Ford has also looked at ways to help people get to work easier, especially those customers that work in an urban city. In many cities, driving your vehicle from home to work is not feasible, which is where Ford’s new electric bike comes in handy. Called MoDe: Flex, the eBike can be configured for many different needs. The bike’s center frame assembly includes the motor and battery, while the front and rear assemblies and wheels can be configured for road, mountain or city riding. The eBike can also fold and store in any Ford vehicle, where it can also be charged.
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