BMW And ReachNow To Offer i3s As Building Amenity in NYC

BMW has long said that BMW i wasn't created exclusively for developing and manufacturing their plug in electric vehicles; that it would also be devoted to developing sustainable mobility solutions as well.

Car sharing is one of those mobility solutions that are getting a lot of attention lately, and not just from independent companies like Uber and Lyft. OEMs are also getting into the car sharing game, and GM’s Maven car sharing service is now in 13 US cities. BMW’s car sharing arm was initially called DriveNow, but was recently brought entirely in house (DriveNow was a partnership between BMW i and Sixt) and rebranded as ReachNow.

The three i3's and two 3-Series sedans used for the car sharing program were parked in front of The Solaire for the announcement on Thursday, December 8th. 

ReachNow was launched earlier this year in Seattle, Washington. They then added service to Portland, Oregon and recently became available in Brooklyn, NY. However yesterday, BMW i and the Albanese Organization announced a partnership to bring ReachNow vehicles to two luxury high rise buildings located in lower Manhattan’s Battery Park City, the Solaire and the Verdesian. There will be five ReachNow vehicles - two BMW 3-Series sedans, and three BMW i3s that will be available exclusively for the residents of the two sister buildings.

Residents simply sign up for ReachNow service and pay only as they use the vehicles. They then pay 41 cents per minute and there’s no sign up or annual fee. The resident simply reserves an available car and picks it up from the building's parking garage. While forty one cents per minute may sound expensive, one has to consider the fact that the end used never has to worry about maintenance, fuel or insurance expense.  Considering that, and the fact that you get the use of a $40,000+ BMW, it’s actually very reasonable.

Over 40 residents of the building were given a chance to drive the cars, and within a week, ReachNow had already recorded 100 reservations for these vehicles. One resident of The Solaire even said that he would consider selling his own car now that the building will be offering ReachNow vehicles as an amenity.

 

BMW picked up the cost to install a DC fast charger in the parking garage of The Solaire. This will insure the i3s will be quickly recharged between use.  

The parking garage at the Solaire, has three EV charging stations to keep the i3s in the fleet charged. BMW paid for the installation of a DC Fast charge station to add to the two existing Level 2 charging stations that were already there. The parking attendants will be responsible for keeping the i3s charged for the residents, and it seemed to me that they were ready to do so. When I arrived for the press announcement in my i3, the attendant immediately recognized the car was an i3, and told me he’d plug it in for me immediately, which he did.

Steve Banfield, Chief Executive for ReachNow, said that every rideshare car in their fleet helps to remove three to ten cars from the streets; a fact supported by urban planners and transportation professionals. Judging from the initial response of the residents in these buildings, I’d say this is going to be an amenity that other building managers begin to look into. While this may be the first partnership of this kind in New York, I suspect it won’t be the last.

Breaking: Jacob Harb No Longer Manager of Electric Vehicles at BMW NA

Jacob Harb (left) pictured with Oliver Walter of BMW at the LA Auto Show in 2012

I've just learned that Jacob Harb is no longer the Manager of Electric Vehicles for BMW of North America. Harb has held the position for a little over two years since the position was vacated by Richard Steinberg, who left the post in August of 2012 to assume the position of CEO of BMW's new car sharing program DriveNow.

This is a bit surprising since I just talked with Jacob at the LA Auto Show a couple weeks ago where we discussed upcoming plans for BMW i. BMW hasn't announced who Harb's successor will be yet, but being close to BMW's e-mobility program I'd like to throw a couple names out there that they'll likely consider:

1) Jose Guerrero. Jose is the i3 Product Manager for North America. He knows as much about the i3 & i8 and anybody at BMW and is good in front of a camera, which is important for department heads who need to be available for interviews. 

2) Joan Bowen. Joan is BMW's EV and i Brand Marketing Manager and has been in the BMW's EV program since 2011. She may be a long shot because her expertise is in marketing but I wouldn't rule her out.

3) Rob Healey. Rob is BMW's Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Manager and was previously the technical coordinator for the MINI-E and ActiveE. Rob has been involved in BMW's e-mobility program since 2008 and knows the technical side of the business as well as anybody working for any EV manufacturer. 

4) Don Smith. Don is the BMW i Electric Vehicle Operations and Strategy manager and has been working closely with Harb for a while now. Don may have the easiest transition into the position as anybody there because he has been working directly with Harb. 

Honestly, I'd feel OK with any of the above mentioned people. I've had the opportunity to meet them all on many occasions and I know they are all very capable executives. I just hope BMW selects someone with extensive electric vehicle program experience. These cars are different, they require different strategies for marketing, sales and aftersales. It's too late in the game to start over with another top manager who doesn't have experience specific to electric cars. BMW needs a strong leader for BMW i and I really hope they choose wisely.