General Motors to expand Maven car sharing program

General Motors stated it is going to expand its car-sharing operation, Maven, in the United States ride services industry as the company aims to take advantage of a growing ‘gig’ or independent economy.

The automaker’s Maven Gig program will assist motorists lease a car on demand for independent gigs including food or grocery delivery, ridesharing, at a time when more people are anticipated to take up freelance work.

GM says it anticipates about 43 percent of the United States workforce to work freelance by 2020. Presently an estimated of \35 percent of the workforce in the country are freelancers, as per a Freelancers Union, a non-profit organization.

Maven Gig, presently operational in San Diego, will be introduced in San Francisco and Los Angeles later this year, GM stated.

The automaker plans to have 100 automobiles as part of the Maven Gig fleet in San Diego, beginning with its Chevrolet Bolt electric cars, and prepares to scale up based on demand.

The automaker is testing over 50 Chevrolet Bolt electric cars with self-driving technology on public roadways in San Francisco, the Detroit metropolitan area and Scottsdale, Arizona.