Library users in Turku will soon be able to borrow an electric car alongside books and other materials. The city is partnering with Toyota Auto Finland to deliver the service on a trial basis for three weeks from Monday 8 May.
Library card holders can borrow the fully electric Toyota bZ4X car from the library for six hours at a time during weekdays and four and a half hours during weekends.
The trial is "probably" the first of its kind in the world, according to Rebekka Pilppula, Turku City Library Services Director.
"We were the first in Finland to introduce an electronic library bus. We now offer the possibility of borrowing an electric car from the library, and we are probably the first library in the world to do so. In Turku, it is always an honour to be the first," Pilppula said in a press release.
The process of borrowing the car is similar to taking out a book, the library said in the release. In addition to a library card, customers need to present a valid Finnish driving license and must not have more than 10 euros of outstanding late fees.
Whether the electric car will be a permanent part of the library's offering after the trial finishes on 28 May is unclear, but Pilppula said that will depend on the outcome of the trial.
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