Witkar ~ 1974 Public Electric Carshare in NL...

Thanks to Velomondial for spotting video of the workings of Witkar in Amsterdam, 1974, supposedly the first public electric carshare w/ 5 stations and two dozen vehicles... Our MIT Media Lab CityCar colleagues aspire to a modern revisit of this idea, bundling together several subsequent innovations and societal transformations:

• Batteries ~ Faster-charge, higher-capacity;
• Robowheels ~ High power-density, lightweight motors;
• Smart Materials ~ Lightweight & strong;
• Hip Styling ~ More attractive & appealing;
• RF & Mobiles ~ Easy booking, payments, navigation;
• Price Economics ~ Market-economy of trips & load balancing;
• Green Consciousness ~ Demand for such systems has blossomed.