Bluecity is expanding its electric car sharing service across London after successful Hammersmith and Fulham pilot | City A.M.

Bluecity, the electric car sharing scheme, is expanding in the capital after a successful trial in Hammersmith and Fulham.

The company geared up for a full London launch earlier this year by starting off with 10 cars in Hammersmith and Fulham, and plans to have up to 50 vehicles in operation by the end of the summer. Bluecity has branched out to Hounslow and Merton with talks ongoing for other areas to follow suit.

Read more: Electric car-sharing is coming to Gatwick Airport

It is billing itself as a point-to-point car club operating in a similar way to the Santander Cycle scheme. Users will reserve a car via the Bluecity app, drive across London and end their rental by returning the car to a suitable charge point. These are part of the Source London network and can also be reserved via the Bluecity app or from the touch-screen inside the car.

Christophe Arnaud, managing director of Bluecity, said:

Bluecity is London’s first 100 per cent EV point-to-point car sharing scheme and we encourage all Londoners to try an electric vehicle. Bluecity can help transform London by dramatically reducing air pollution, congestion and the number of cars on the road in the city.

It marks the next step in the company’s UK expansion plans after announcing a partnership with Gatwick Airport in October last year. Passengers will be able to collect vehicles from Gatwick and drop them off at dedicated charging points across the capital.

French firm Bolloré runs the electric car-sharing scheme, which has already proved a hit with Parisians, where car club Autolib’ has recorded 340,000 members join since its launch.

It said there were 15,000 journeys made through the service each day, helping to take some 36,000 cars off the road.

But the equivalent scheme for the capital has taken longer than expected due to dragging contract talks with London’s local councils.

Previously, Bolloré’s Blue Solutions division had said it was aiming to get 3,000 electric cars on London’s streets by 2018 but agreeing on infrastructure pushed it back. Bolloré said it had been easier to establish in Paris as the mayor has greater power to push boroughs to bring in crucial infrastructure.

Read more: Electric car market charged past the two million mark in 2016