The BMW X1 is now available to rent in Seattle and Portland. Photo via BMW.
The BMW X1 is now available to rent in Seattle and Portland. Photo via BMW.

ReachNow is expanding in the Northwest.

BMW’s car-sharing service today announced the addition of more vehicles and an expansion of the “Home Area” in both Seattle and Portland.

In Seattle, ReachNow now reaches city limits in all directions, including parts of North and South Seattle that were previously not covered.

BMW is also adding 180 vehicles to its fleet in Seattle, where the company had its ReachNow worldwide debut this past May. Of the 180 additional cars, there are 50 new BMW X1 “sports activity vehicles” that will join a fleet consisting of BMW 3 Series, MINI Cooper, and all-electric BMW i3 cars. There are now 700 vehicles in Seattle, up from 370 at launch.

Here’s the updated coverage map for Seattle:

gr_reachnow_seahomearea_120616

BMW launched ReachNow in Seattle after the City Council approved an expansion of three additional free-floating car-sharing programs in January 2015. It competes with Car2go, which launched in Seattle three years ago and expanded its service area to the entire city in March 2015. New car-sharing companies in Seattle can receive 500 permits to start, and up to 750 if they agree to provide service across the city. Car2go has 82,000 members using 750 vehicles in Seattle.

In Portland, where ReachNow launched in September, BMW is also expanding its “Home Area” to include neighborhoods like Sellwood-Moreland; Reed; Woodstock; Mt. Scott; Goose Hollow/Southwest Hills; John’s Landing; University Park; and Portsmouth.

BMW is also adding 100 more vehicles to its fleet in Portland; it had 260 at launch. The new cars include the BMW X1; the four-door MINI Clubman; and 30 BMW i3 electric vehicles. The company noted that it now offers Oregon’s only free-floating electric vehicle car-sharing service. Car2go previously had electric vehicles in Portland but removed them due to the lack of charging infrastructure, according to a company spokesperson.

Here’s the updated coverage map in Portland:

gr_reachnow_pdxhomearea_120616

ReachNow also announced Tuesday that the minimum age to drive its vehicles is now 18, down from 21.

bmwreachnow43BMW said last month that there are 32,000 ReachNow members across Seattle and Portland. It also just launched ReachNow in Brooklyn, and plans to launch in an additional seven North American metros.

There are also plans to offer much more than the free-floating car-sharing service. In Seattle, BMW will begin testing a pilot program this month for “Ride,” a new service that lets customers hail rides from within the existing ReachNow app and will compete with Uber and Lyft.

Another new service will be piloted in Seattle starting Dec. 15: “Share.” This will allow owners of 2016 or 2017 MINI vehicles to rent out their vehicles on the ReachNow platform for a minimum of two days. It’s a way for MINI owners to make money off their car, while also expanding the ReachNow fleet.

Finally, BMW will test “Reserve,” which builds upon ReachNow’s new long-term rates that offer lower prices for those who keep vehicles longer. Starting in early 2016, customers in Seattle using a car for two to five days can now schedule their vehicle to be dropped off at a specific time and location.

In Brooklyn, BMW is testing another new mobility service, Fleet Solutions, which places dedicated i3 and 328xi vehicles that will remain on-site at select apartment and condominium buildings.

Reuters reported this week that BMW will test self-driving cars in Munich next year.

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