Maven (car sharing)
| File:Maven car sharing company logo.png | |
| Subsidiary of General Motors | |
| Industry | Automobile sharing services |
| Founded | 2016[1] |
| Headquarters | Detroit, Michigan, U.S. |
|
Key people
|
Julia Steyn, Vice President |
| Products | Automobile sharing services |
|
Number of employees
|
40[2] |
| Parent | General Motors |
| Website | MavenDrive.com |
Maven is a carsharing service announced by General Motors in January 2016. The program combines the company’s initiatives in car-sharing services, with employees from the car technology industry, along with Google, Zipcar and Sidecar employees.
History
Maven was announced in January 2016. The initiative was spurred from GM's acquisition of select assets and employees from Sidecar,[1] along with the company's $500M investment in car sharing service Lyft.[3] SideCar had shuttered its service in 2015 after failing to gain ground on larger rivals Lyft and Uber. At the time of its launch, Maven's team consisted of 40 people. The head of the group was GM Vice President Julia Steyn, GM’s head of urban mobility, who had previously been GM’s vice president of corporate development and global mergers and acquisitions.[2]
Ann Arbor trial
The January 2016 announcement introducing the company included an announcement of a pilot program at the University of Michigan at Ann Arbor. The company reportedly will make several Chevrolet vehicles available, including the Volt, Spark, Malibu, and Tahoe, through a Maven branded app. The cars were reported to support Android Auto and Apple's CarPlay. Wired Magazine reported that the initial program is free to join, and gas and insurance are included for as little as $6 an hour.[4]
SideCar's ride-sharing patent
With the acquisition of SideCar's assets, GM also gained access to a 2002 patent related to hailing rides using mobile phones. It is not yet certain what role if any the patent will play in the future of the Maven project. The patent remains a potential defensive weapon.[3]
