SAN FRANCISCO — On June 23, Ford Motor Company announced the next phase of its Ford Smart Mobility plan. The latest phase includes a peer-to-peer car sharing pilot program through Ford Motor Credit, which will be launched in six U.S. cities and in London.
Ford Smart Mobility is the company’s plan to deliver the next level in connectivity, mobility, autonomous vehicles, the customer experience and big data, officials said. Ford introduced the plan in January, along with 25 experiments aimed at better understanding consumers’ mobility needs around the globe.
As part of this initiative, Ford Motor Credit will offer Peer-2-Peer Car Sharing to 14,000 and 12,000 customers in six U.S. cities and London, respectively. Those customers will be able to rent their Ford Credit-financed vehicles to prescreened drivers for short-term use, offsetting monthly vehicle ownership costs. U.S. customers will participate through the Web-based, mobile-friendly software of ride-share company Getaround, while London drivers will connect through a similar rental system of easyCar Club.
“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.”
The pilot is being offered to select 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.
