Experts predict that, in the future, most cars will be shared, electric, and capable of driving themselves. That future has arrived early in Sacramento, where AAA recently launched the biggest all-electric car-sharing service in the country.
The new Sacramento service works the same way as the original GIG service that was rolled out in Berkeley and Oakland, California, in 2017: You download an app to your smartphone, use it to locate and unlock the car you want to use, and then get in and go. You can drive your GIG car wherever you want, then return it to any legal parking spot in the service's HomeZone (in this case, a 13-square-mile area in central Sacramento). Other car-sharing services require you to return vehicles to designated parking areas.
The biggest difference between this new GIG service and the original in the Bay Area is that all the cars in the Sacramento fleet run fully on electricity. The cars are periodically recharged as needed, but if you need more juice, you can stop by any of the charging stations inside the HomeZone.
"Sacramento is one of the greenest cities in the United States," says Jason Haight, president of GIG Car Share. "We're thrilled to launch a new, easy mobility solution there that's both affordable and zero-emission and that we think will really benefit the community."
Pricing is based on usage and includes insurance and parking in the HomeZone; AAA Members get a 10 percent discount. There's no sign-up fee.
It's just one more way AAA is evolving to help Members in the rapidly changing world of mobility.