The city of Ljubljana has signed a long-term agreement with Avant Car to develop and manage a public electric vehicle rental and sharing system over the next 20 years, as part of its efforts to promote sustainable transport, Balkan Green Energy News reported.
City authorities said the project will provide residents with a more environment-friendly way to travel, while helping reduce reliance on private cars, improve air quality, and encourage the use of electric mobility. The Urban Municipality of Ljubljana noted that the initiative builds on earlier efforts, including pilot programmes for electric car sharing introduced over the past decade.
Studies show that a single Avant2Go location with three shared vehicles can replace up to 30 privately owned cars, many of which remain unused for most of the time.
Under the public-private partnership, the city plans to invest about €11.4 million over the duration of the project. Most of this amount will go towards waiving parking fees for designated spaces, while the rest will cover reduced charges for installing charging stations and maintaining parking areas.
The private partner will invest around €18.7 million, including €6.2 million in the first year. In addition, a concession fee of €210 per parking space will be introduced from 2027.
The Avant2Go service, which operates round the clock, already has more than 80,000 registered users. As part of the project, the city will set up 400 parking spaces, deploy 400 electric vehicles, and install 160 charging points. In the initial phase, 200 parking spaces, 200 vehicles, and 40 charging points will be made available.
The agreement was signed by Ljubljana Mayor Zoran Janković and Avant Car CEO Gašper Žvan.
Janković said car sharing is an effective solution for reducing the number of private vehicles and easing traffic congestion in the city. He added that improved mobility options could encourage residents to give up additional cars and adopt more sustainable ways of travelling.
Avant Car founder Matej Čer said the company aims to build a mobility system that is accessible, easy to use and focused on sustainability.
