Fast on the (w)heels of its successful Velib' bike-sharing program, the city of Paris is planning to implement a similar program involving shared electric cars—which could come as good news to travelers.

Set to begin in late 2009 or early 2010, the Autolib' program would work along the same lines as Velib': People could pick the cars up at one of 700 proposed lots across the city and drop them off at another lot. Some things have yet to be worked out, such as the cost and whether international driver's licenses would be accepted. But if foreign tourists are allowed to participate in the program, the cars could be an affordable and flexible way to get around.

Foreigners are able to rent the Velib' bicycles with certain credit cards; for more information on that program, check out our story from the May issue on 10 ways to beat the high costs of traveling to Europe.