Autolib

I remember first reading about the proposals for Paris' Autolib, the city-and-suburbs electric car-sharing scheme. Similar to the successful Velib bike rental scheme, subscribers can pick and drop off these handsome so-called Bluecars (even if they are grey) from charging points across the Ile de France. Almost a year old, the service has 37,000 registered subscribers, of which 13,000 have an annual subscription. I first became aware of the plans from a leaflet distributed at my local market, and I never thought it would happen. Where would they find the space, for one thing? Let alone the cost. I'm very happy to have been proved totally wrong and was delighted to see this car nonchently recharging on the streets near my appartment on a recent visit. But I wonder who is in charge of making sure the car gets plugged in.....