Building on GM's announcement from earlier this morning, the company has just unveiled "Let's Drive NYC," a car-sharing program in New York City — but the catch is that it's only open to residents of a single 479-unit building near Times Square right now. Occupants receive three hours of vehicle use per month; additional time starts at under $10 per hour, or up to $75 for 24 hours, which is very competitive with Zipcar's rates in the city.
The twist is that Let's Drive NYC has access to 200 parking garages in Manhattan that are managed by Icon Parking Systems. Driving around Manhattan on a regular basis doesn't seem like a good idea — the last thing Manhattan needs is more vehicular traffic — but for the occasional trip to a furniture store, it could be great. Speaking of cargo needs, Let's Drive NYC's vehicle lineup seems appropriate: eight Chevy Trax and two Chevy Equinox, all SUVs. More cars are expected to be added to the lineup as the project expands.
The program is a little conservative both in scope and function, but this may just be the tip of the iceberg: GM is talking a big game today about its investments in autonomous driving, EVs, and a new e-bike, all of which could factor into car-sharing programs of the future.