15 nov 18
Fil d'Actus

New car-sharer GoTo Malta uses only ZOEs

Two smart-mobility firsts for Malta: GoTo Malta is not just the first car-sharing club in the Mediterranean island nation, it is also resolutely post-fossil-fuel: the newly-launched service provides 150 Renault ZOE EVs to drive around Malta’s main island (also named Malta) and its smaller neighbour Gozo. 

Offered via a government-backed scheme, the EVs can be booked via an app and are available 24 hours a day. The Maltese government will also reserve 450 parking spaces for the scheme in high-use parking areas and install 225 charging pillars throughout both islands, each with two charging points (i.e. for a total of 450). 

The new R110 electric motor and the Z.E 40 battery provide a real-world range of 300 km, more than enough to explore the relatively small islands of Malta or Gozo on a single charge. 

It is hoped GoTo Malta will help reduce pollution and parking issues (particularly problematic on the small, densely populated islands) while raising EV awareness and this ultimately contributing to Malta’s achieving its goal of 5,000 EVs by 2020.

GoTo Malta has made around 600 pilot rides with its shared cars prior to launch. Its parent company Car2Go Israel earlier this year launched a similar scheme with 100 ZOEs in the Israeli port city of Haifa. GoTo Malta says its services will be half the cost of local taxis. 

Image: GoTo Malta
 

Authored by: Frank Jacobs