BMW i Ventures has invested in valet company Zirx. Zirx offers on-demand valet services in urban centers and other areas where parking can pose a challenge to drivers. Drivers use the Zirx app to mark their location, where an agent will pick up the car and park it and, if desired, refuel/recharge, wash or have other maintenance performed on the vehicle in the meantime. "BMW i Ventures provides equity financing to service providers it identifies as having high potential to make urban mobility smarter, more efficient and more flexible," says BMW i Ventures Managing Director Ulrich Quay. "With its combination of service and technology that makes it easier for drivers to park and take care of their cars, ZIRX has the potential to be a central component of on-demand services." Read more in the press release below.
Tesla gets more Google searches in China and Norway than any other automaker. While Toyota searches dominate much of the rest of the world, Tesla is enjoying solid favor in Norway. While electric vehicles make up about a quarter of new car sales in the Scandinavian country, Tesla has had trouble getting a foothold in China. Perhaps the Google searches mean Chinese drivers could be warming up to the automaker. Read more from Gas2.
Two EV charging stations have been installed at the National Mall in Washington, DC. Installed by the National Park Service, the stations – which cost $2 per hour to use – are located across from the National Museum of American History and from the National Air and Space Museum. "As the National Park Service prepares for its second century of service to the American people, we are committed to providing clean and green energy to promote a healthy environment," says the National Park Service Acting Superintendent Karen Cucurullo. Read more from NBC Washington.
Tesla gets more Google searches in China and Norway than any other automaker. While Toyota searches dominate much of the rest of the world, Tesla is enjoying solid favor in Norway. While electric vehicles make up about a quarter of new car sales in the Scandinavian country, Tesla has had trouble getting a foothold in China. Perhaps the Google searches mean Chinese drivers could be warming up to the automaker. Read more from Gas2.
Two EV charging stations have been installed at the National Mall in Washington, DC. Installed by the National Park Service, the stations – which cost $2 per hour to use – are located across from the National Museum of American History and from the National Air and Space Museum. "As the National Park Service prepares for its second century of service to the American people, we are committed to providing clean and green energy to promote a healthy environment," says the National Park Service Acting Superintendent Karen Cucurullo. Read more from NBC Washington.
BMW i Ventures Makes Strategic Investment in ZIRX
New investment helps fuel ZIRX's expansion into new markets and service offerings; company introduces ZIRX Enterprise
SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BMW Group today announced a strategic investment in ZIRX under the company's venture capital entity, BMW i Ventures. An innovative on-demand parking and car services company built for drivers, ZIRX eliminates the frustration that drivers face in owning a car and parking in major urban markets like New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C.
"BMW i Ventures provides equity financing to service providers it identifies as having high potential to make urban mobility smarter, more efficient and more flexible," said Ulrich Quay, Managing Director of BMW i Ventures. "With its combination of service and technology that makes it easier for drivers to park and take care of their cars, ZIRX has the potential to be a central component of on-demand services."
ZIRX transforms the way urban dwellers take on the day's routine. Using the company's mobile app, drivers can easily indicate current location and, within minutes, have an agent arrive and valet park any car in a secure garage. While parked, drivers can easily opt for the company's signature ZIRX Care services that include car washes, gas fill-ups, electric vehicle charging, oil changes, tire rotation and factory maintenance. With the average car parked 95% of the time, ZIRX also has the power to be a central component of on-demand services--forever ending the anxiety of missed deliveries. Drivers can download the ZIRX mobile app for iOS here and Android here.
"We are excited that BMW i Ventures has made a strategic investment in ZIRX and are looking forward to working together to help deliver our vision of making parking and car services easier and more convenient than ever," said Sean Behr, Co-Founder and CEO, ZIRX. "Our unique on-demand valet and services offerings are taking off in every market we're in today and over the coming weeks and months we'll be bringing new products and services out that will continue to change the world's $41B parking market."
ZIRX Enterprise
As more companies establish offices in cities across the country, parking is becoming a greater issue for both employers and their employees. ZIRX has seen steady growth in its ZIRX Enterprise services the past year, establishing on-demand parking partnerships with leading companies such as Automatic Labs, Insomniac, Juno Therapeutics and Live Nation. With ZIRX Enterprise, companies can offer the convenience of on-demand valet parking and services to employees, helping to attract and retain talent and increase employee productivity. In response to this growing demand, ZIRX is expanding its Enterprise team and is releasing its Enterprise Portal, a web-based dashboard to help companies easily manage employees' accounts and billing.
"We chose to offer ZIRX on-demand parking to our employees in Beverly Hills after we ran out of parking spaces. We've been using ZIRX for more than three months and our employees love it. ZIRX Agents are friendly and professional and have created an easy drop-off and pick-up experience that works for our employees, our landlord and the city of Beverly Hills. The ZIRX team are creative and persistent problem solvers, helping to resolve any issues we encountered and we have now expanded their service to another division of our company," Linda Gross, Senior Vice-President, Administration, Live Nation Entertainment.
New investment helps fuel ZIRX's expansion into new markets and service offerings; company introduces ZIRX Enterprise
SAN FRANCISCO and NEW YORK, Sept. 2, 2015 /PRNewswire/ -- BMW Group today announced a strategic investment in ZIRX under the company's venture capital entity, BMW i Ventures. An innovative on-demand parking and car services company built for drivers, ZIRX eliminates the frustration that drivers face in owning a car and parking in major urban markets like New York, Los Angeles, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle and Washington D.C.
"BMW i Ventures provides equity financing to service providers it identifies as having high potential to make urban mobility smarter, more efficient and more flexible," said Ulrich Quay, Managing Director of BMW i Ventures. "With its combination of service and technology that makes it easier for drivers to park and take care of their cars, ZIRX has the potential to be a central component of on-demand services."
ZIRX transforms the way urban dwellers take on the day's routine. Using the company's mobile app, drivers can easily indicate current location and, within minutes, have an agent arrive and valet park any car in a secure garage. While parked, drivers can easily opt for the company's signature ZIRX Care services that include car washes, gas fill-ups, electric vehicle charging, oil changes, tire rotation and factory maintenance. With the average car parked 95% of the time, ZIRX also has the power to be a central component of on-demand services--forever ending the anxiety of missed deliveries. Drivers can download the ZIRX mobile app for iOS here and Android here.
"We are excited that BMW i Ventures has made a strategic investment in ZIRX and are looking forward to working together to help deliver our vision of making parking and car services easier and more convenient than ever," said Sean Behr, Co-Founder and CEO, ZIRX. "Our unique on-demand valet and services offerings are taking off in every market we're in today and over the coming weeks and months we'll be bringing new products and services out that will continue to change the world's $41B parking market."
ZIRX Enterprise
As more companies establish offices in cities across the country, parking is becoming a greater issue for both employers and their employees. ZIRX has seen steady growth in its ZIRX Enterprise services the past year, establishing on-demand parking partnerships with leading companies such as Automatic Labs, Insomniac, Juno Therapeutics and Live Nation. With ZIRX Enterprise, companies can offer the convenience of on-demand valet parking and services to employees, helping to attract and retain talent and increase employee productivity. In response to this growing demand, ZIRX is expanding its Enterprise team and is releasing its Enterprise Portal, a web-based dashboard to help companies easily manage employees' accounts and billing.
"We chose to offer ZIRX on-demand parking to our employees in Beverly Hills after we ran out of parking spaces. We've been using ZIRX for more than three months and our employees love it. ZIRX Agents are friendly and professional and have created an easy drop-off and pick-up experience that works for our employees, our landlord and the city of Beverly Hills. The ZIRX team are creative and persistent problem solvers, helping to resolve any issues we encountered and we have now expanded their service to another division of our company," Linda Gross, Senior Vice-President, Administration, Live Nation Entertainment.
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