The new, silent, French revolution

Paris, a city which has seen many revolutions, claims it is on the cusp of another - one that will change the world's relationship with the car.

The first help-yourself, electrically powered hire cars were yesterday being tested on the streets of the French capital.

The Mayor of Paris and the French billionaire who has sponsored the £250 million ($438 million) Autolib scheme believe this will be the first step in an urban and suburban sea change.

On a test run of one of the four-seater Autolib cars last week, it proved as solid, nippy and manoeuvrable as any normal, petrol-driven, urban runabout, and quieter than a milk float or a dodgem car.

In limited numbers from this weekend - with a full rollout from December 5 - the Autolib cars will be let loose on the streets of Paris and its suburban satellite towns.

Autolib, the brain-child of Mayor Bertrand Delanoe, will work on roughly the same principles as Velib, the Paris do-it-yourself bicycle hire scheme launched in 2007.

Up to 3000 cars will eventually be available at 800 docking stations in Paris and 46 suburban towns. You pick up one of the unpainted, metallic-finish cars at any docking station or book it by phone or internet.

The cars are based on the Franco-Canadian made, Italian-designed "Bluecars" which will soon be available commercially. They can travel at up to 130km/h for 240km before they need recharging. They are fitted with a radio, a satellite navigation system and a permanent link to Autolib mission control near Versailles.

After paying an annual fee of £144, an "autolibbeur" will be able to drive from a cost of €5 for the first half-hour. Eighty per cent of the £250 million investment has been borne by Vincent Bollore, whose group is among the leading investors in electric cars.

Success for Autolib would boost the electric car industry, which would help France and the rest of the world reduce carbon emissions, he said.

It would also "signal the end of the obsession with individual car-ownership" and encourage the idea of "car-sharing". The Assistant Mayor of Paris, Annick Lepetit, said the city hoped by 2013 it would take 22,500 private cars off the streets.

The concept has angered taxi drivers and provoked legal challenges from car-hire companies.

- Independent