Car sharing: what does "free-floating" mean? We explain

The term "free-floating" keeps popping up in connection with car sharing. If you've come across the term and wondered what it means, our guide has the explanation.

Suspenseful name, simple background: "free-floating" is the standard in carsharing.

There are several business models in carsharing. The term "free-floating" stands for an important feature.

Carsharing: "free-floating" as the common standard

The phrase "free-floating" sounds somewhat exciting, but it is not:

• This refers to a system in which vehicles can be rented without a rental station, quite flexibly and at different locations.
• This is anyway the basis of car sharing providers like DriveNow, and from the beginning. Station-based rental cars, as they have always existed, such as SIXT or Hertz, are consequently the opposite.
• The term "free-floating" can thus also be applied to other rental vehicles, provided they can be freely parked and booked in the rental area. The best example of this are the current e-scooters.
• Despite the popularity of "free-floating" models, there are also station-based car sharing services.

In summary, this means that the business model of DriveNow and Co. was based on "free-floating" from the very beginning - it is thus by no means a new technological development or anything similar.