GM’s Maven Adds New Chevy Bolt Car Sharing Service for the ‘Gig Economy’

GM’s Maven mobility brand will let drivers rent cars for multiple ride-sharing and delivery services.

byStephen Edelstein|
GM’s Maven Adds New Chevy Bolt Car Sharing Service for the ‘Gig Economy’
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General Motors's Maven brand already offers rentals to Lyft and Uber drivers, but now it's expanding that concept. Launching in California, a new service called Maven Gig lets drivers use rented cars for multiple freelance services, including Lyft, Uber, GrubHub, Instacart, and Roadie.

Maven Gig is up and running in San Diego and will launch in San Francisco and Los Angeles later this year. It lets drivers rent a Chevrolet Bolt EV at $229 a week, including insurance (minus deductibles). Drivers also get free charging at EVgo charging stations. 

Maven introduced the Bolt EV to its Los Angeles-area car-sharing service earlier this year, and positive feedback from drivers led to the decision to deploy it with Maven Gig. The lower maintenance costs of an electric car and freedom from visiting the gas station make it more economically attractive. Thanks to California's enthusiasm for electric cars, finding a charging station shouldn't be too difficult either.

While previous Maven rental programs were limited to a single service, Maven Gig allows drivers to work for multiple services at once. Maven believes this added flexibility will make it easier for people to enter the so-called "gig economy," since drivers won't have to use their personal cars, and will have multiple options for income. That wasn't previously possible because Maven negotiated its rental agreements separately with individual companies, and those agreements were nontransferable.

Maven Gig could very well prove a boon to industrious ride-share drivers, but it's also an example of how GM is trying to capitalize on the whole "mobility" trend. Ride-sharing and car-sharing services could affect car sales, but Maven Gig demonstrates how an automaker can turn these types of services into potential new revenue streams. By renting cars to ride-share drivers, it can turn these potential competitors into customers. Maven also runs its own car-sharing services in different cities.

Since launching in January 2016, Maven has expanded to 17 North American cities, and offers rentals for ride-sharing services in 11 of them. Maven Gig will likely expand to markets outside California at some future date.

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