Cities realizing big benefits from Car2go car-sharing service, study funded by Daimler finds

By Bruce Brown Published July 22, 2016

If you live in a big city, do you even want to own a car? When parking can cost almost as much as your rent and definitely more than a car payment, the appeal fades fast. Daimler’s Car2go car-sharing service, first launched in Austin, Texas, in 2010 and now available in 30 cities around the world, is demonstrating a significant impact on city transit. The positive results were found by a study by the University of California, Berkeley’s Transportation Sustainability Research Center, as reported by CNN Money.

The UC-Berkeley study, which was funded by Daimler, found measurable impacts on traffic, pollution, and parking resulting from Car2go services. Researchers polled Car2go users in Calgary, Canada; San Diego; Vancouver, British Columbia; Seattle; and the District of Columbia. The study surveyed nearly 9,500 users and included trip data provided by Car2go.

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The researchers found that users drove 7 percent fewer miles using Car2go than they did previously. Computed greenhouse gas emissions levels also dropped 10 percent on average. Because Car2go members either sold their own cars or held off on buying a new car, the survey results showed that for each Car2go vehicle in a city, between seven and 11 vehicles were no longer on the road. Close to the same number of miles were traveled, but because more vehicles were being shared, many fewer cars were needed.

Car2go currently operates in nine cities in the U.S. and four in Canada. According to the company, worldwide there are 14,000 Car2go vehicles and nearly 2 million registered members. Users, who pay a one-time $35 membership fee, can rent Car2go Smart Fortwo cars by the minute, hour, or day. In the U.S., Car2go rental costs 41 cents per minute, $15 per hour, or $85 per day, plus taxes and any fees charged by local cities.

Each city has a designated operating area. When you want to rent a car, you open the Car2go smartphone app to find the closest car, which you can reserve up to 30 minutes in advance or use immediately. You unlock the car with the app, drive wherever you’re going, park it, and you’re done. You don’t need to look for special parking spots or lots — Car2g0 negotiates with cities to allow parking in any open public parking space at no charge.

Contributing Editor

Bruce Brown Contributing Editor As a Contributing Editor to the Auto teams at Digital Trends and TheManual.com, Bruce…

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Archer’s flying taxis head to LA for the 2028 Olympics

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Remember the buzz about flying taxis zipping through Paris for the 2024 Olympics? That sci-fi fantasy never got off the ground —Germany’s Volocopter dream was denied certification, leaving fans staring at the same old ground traffic. But now, the skies are opening again for a second shot at glory—this time over Los Angeles.
Archer Aviation, the California-based electric vertical takeoff and landing (eVTOL) company, has been named the exclusive air taxi provider for the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic and Paralympic Games.
Archer’s Midnight aircraft, a piloted electric air taxi designed to carry four passengers, will be whisking around VIPs, fans, and stakeholders between venues and key locations like LAX, Hollywood, Santa Monica, and even Orange County. Think 10-20 minute flights that skip the infamous LA gridlock and land you right where the action is—on the roof, basically.
“We want to transform the way people get around Los Angeles and leave a legacy that shapes the future of transportation in America. There’s no better time to do that than during the LA28 Games,” said Adam Goldstein, CEO and founder of Archer Aviation.
And Midnight isn’t just a pretty rotor. It’s a whisper-quiet, emission-light aircraft with 12 rotors and a redundant, airline-level safety design.
What’s more, Archer and LA28 are working together to electrify vertiport hubs around the city—think futuristic sky stations—to serve not only Games-time needs but also to plant seeds for a post-Olympic air mobility network.
The air mobility market has been fast developing over the past few years, featuring the likes of Hyundai partnership with China’s XPeng HT Aero and Toyota's backing of Joby Aviation, a U.S. venture. Joby bought Uber Elevate in 2020, hoping to someday pair its air taxis with Uber’s ride-hailing app.
Archer, for its part, has been busy building a strategic partnership with United Airlines, which has already placed orders for the aircraft and is helping with logistics to integrate air taxis into airport-to-downtown travel. More than a demo for the cameras, the LA28 partnership will showcase urban air travel for real-world daily use, starting with one of the most high-profile events on Earth.
After raising false hopes in Paris, the air taxi dream is aiming for liftoff in LA—and this time, it might just stick the landing.

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Electric Muscle Misfire? Dodge Pulls Charger Daytona R/T from 2026 Lineup

electric muscle misfire dodge pulls charger daytona r t from 2026 lineup all new

The Dodge Charger Daytona R/T, once hailed as the vanguard of Dodge’s electric muscle car future, is being dropped for the 2026 model year.
According to a report from MoparInsiders, the Scat Pack variant will now lead the Daytona lineup, marking a significant pivot in Stellantis’ EV strategy.
Originally introduced with bold ambitions, the Charger Daytona R/T was designed to offer an accessible gateway into electric performance. With its 456-horsepower dual-motor setup and optional 509-horsepower Direct Connection stage kit, it seemed poised to excite both muscle car fans and EV newcomers. However, market realities have painted a different picture.
Industry and media reports highlight the core issue: buyers just weren’t biting. Despite its impressive specs and nostalgic design cues, the R/T struggled to justify its price tag, starting near $60,000. At that level, buyers expected either more performance or more premium features. Without strong sales traction, Dodge made the tough call to shelve the R/T variant for 2026, opting instead to focus on trims that resonate better with customers.
As we reported in December, the Charger EV was launched with an off-beat marketing message to “save the planet from self-driving sleep pods.” The goal was to retain Dodge’s brand identity—muscle, aggression, and driver engagement—even in the electric era. The Charger Daytona R/T was supposed to be the perfect balance of price and performance, but it seems the target audience wasn’t ready to make that leap at that price.
Importantly, this doesn’t spell the end of the Charger Daytona altogether. Higher-performance models like the Scat Pack and Banshee are still in the pipeline and, interestingly, are being adjusted for price competitiveness. Several trims are reportedly seeing price cuts, suggesting Stellantis is serious about making these vehicles more appealing and accessible.
For enthusiasts, the takeaway is clear: the electric muscle car isn’t going anywhere, but automakers are still figuring out how to sell it. The demise of the R/T is less a failure and more a recalibration—proof that even the boldest plans need to stay flexible in the face of consumer demand.

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The all-electric Cadillac Vistiq makes the Escalade redundant

2026 Cadillac Vistiq front-quarter view.

Cadillac wants a full lineup of electric vehicles, and it’s nearly there. It has a standard crossover SUV (the Lyriq), an entry-level model (the Optiq), an electric version of its flagship Escalade (the Escalade IQ), and even a baroque showpiece (the Celestiq). But something’s missing.

For a modern luxury brand, a midsize three-row crossover is key. Customers for whom a Toyota Highlander is too déclassé need something to take their kids to lacrosse practice, but may not want something as big as an Escalade. This isn’t the most exciting design brief, and that’s reflected in the gasoline Cadillac XT6, which has always felt like nothing more than a placeholder. Its new electric counterpart, the 2026 Cadillac Vistiq, is anything but.