Nissan helps Yokohama launch an electric car-sharing service

Electric ride: Cars can be reserved with just 30 minutes' notice and can be driven anywhere within the city limits.

Choimobi Yokohama is a new round-trip car rental service that will let anyone with a driver's licence, credit card and smartphone borrow a compact electric city car.

The new service, which officially launches on Friday, uses Nissan's ultra-compact New Mobility Concept cars that are based on the Renault Twizzy. The car uses a 1+1 seating arrangement so that it is just half the width of even the average city car.