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Car2go now has 1,000,000 members

Turns out, 1,000,000 people sharing 12,000 cars can have a big impact. Now that Car2go has claimed the seven-digit member figure (disclosure: I'm one of those million), the Daimler-owned carsharing company is, ahem, sharing a few figures in the traditional infographic format. Click the image above to enlarge it. Using cars in 29 "Home Areas" in eight countries around the world, Car2go members have driven 136,701,662 total miles over 32 million trips. Daimler also said that the average trip time was between 19 and 25 minutes. We have to assume that the 18 trips used as a "wedding getaway car" took a bit longer than that. Thus far, Car2go is open only in cities in Europe and North America, but we recently learned that expansion to Asia is in the works. The carsharing company has evolved since starting in 2009, adding more transportation options in some areas and turning members' cell phones into a gadget that can start and end trips. Find more in the press release below. car2go Reaches 1,000,000 Members, Marking Its Spot As The Largest Carsharing Company In The World In Celebration of 1M Member Milestone, car2go Reveals User Behavior Data Since Launch AUSTIN, Texas, Dec. 10, 2014 /PRNewswire/ -- car2go, the largest carsharing company in the world, announced today that its revolutionary, one-way carsharing service has reached one million members with access to 12,000 car2go vehicles in 60 cities within 29 operating Home Areas and eight countries across the globe. Additionally, for the first time ever, car2go revealed user behavior data, illustrating its sheer growth since the company launched in 2009. "Providing our members the best car2go experience with their honest feedback has always been such an important part of our overall growth strategy," said Paul DeLong, CMO of car2go North America. "We've seen tremendous growth since we first launched, and the strong adoption rate is a testament that our valued members are truly responding to our efforts to help them get from Point A to Point B with absolute ease. We know that we can't rest - we will continue to innovate and improve car2go in our existing markets, and introduce car2go to additional cities around the world.

$99/month EV lease deals still out there, in some places

Has the electric-vehicle market really gotten to the point where folks can take out a lease for less than C-note per month? Yes, if you're interested in a Mitsubishi i of Smart ForTwo EV, Plug In Cars has found. As Mitsubishi prepares to bring in the 2015 model-year version of the i, it's unloading some of the 2013s for as little as $69 a month in some areas, bringing in a bit of deja vu for those who remember the $69 monthly lease rate some Mitsubishi dealers were asking for early last year. Meanwhile, a Smart EV can be had for $99 (discounted from $139 a month), with a $900 down payment, at at least one Connecticut dealership. Moving up to $139 a month could get you into a new Nissan Leaf, albeit with a honking' down payment of about $6,600. Chevrolet Spark EVs can be found in California and Oregon for as little as $199 a month. And both the Fiat 500e and Honda Fit EV can be found at some dealerships with lease rates in the mid-two-hundreds per month. The upper end of the plug-in scale - a Tesla Model S - still runs north of $1,000 a month (before you apply Tesla's various calculations to get to their "effective monthly cost"). But when you can afford to drive a Tesla, who's really counting? Featured Gallery 2012 Mitsubishi i: First Drive View 20 Photos News Source: Plug In CarsImage Credit: Copyright 2014 Sebastian Blanco / AOL Green Mitsubishi smart Electric ev sales lease i-miev i mitsubishi i smart fortwo ed

Smart Concept #1 shows the brand's premium electric crossover future

At this year's Munich Auto Show, Mercedes-Benz's budget brand, Smart, has revealed a concept that shows the future of its electric cars. And with four doors and borderline conventional design, it hardly seems like a Smart. It's called the Concept #1 (real original, we know), and it even seems like something that could find buyers in America. In actuality, a Smart four-door isn't all that strange. Its first four-door was the first-generation ForFour, which shared its underpinnings and powertrain with the Mitsubishi Colt and launched in 2004. Then there was the Renault Twingo-based second-generation ForFour, which was more like a stretched ForTwo. Unlike the Concept #1, those past ForFour models still featured Smart's trademark design features such as funky shapes and a contrast-colored passenger cell. The Concept #1 on the other hand looks positively mainstream. It has a typical two-box profile synonymous with crossovers, and it has a floating, contrast-colored roof; design cues we've seen many times before, and will see many times again. It certainly doesn't look bad, though, and it is quite smooth and sleek. It's also reasonably sized, measuring just a bit longer, taller and wider than a Kia Soul, but not quite as big as a Seltos. The interior is where it stands out more. It looks almost like a budget Mercedes-Benz, and the company says it wants to become more of a premium brand. Particularly eye-catching is the use of polished-gold-colored trim on the dash and the high floating center console. Paired with the white interior and copious ambient lighting, it's reminiscent of Maybach concepts. But the Concept #1 has just one screen sitting dead center, and it seems to take on the functions of infotainment, climate and instrumentation. Though the Concept #1 is, well, a concept, Smart says it previews a production model. Development is being headed by Geely, parent company of both Volvo and Lotus, and Mercedes will handle exterior and interior design. And in keeping with the brand's switch to selling only electric models, it will of course be electric. Specifications are unknown, though. With conventionally good looks and practical size, it will probably be a sales success. And if Mercedes wanted to try to relaunch the brand in the U.S., perhaps as a Mini alternative, this would probably be a good way to do so. Related video: