On the road with "Carl und Carla"
(Interview from 2014)
Susann Mayer
Five students and a Volkswagen EuroVan. This is how "Carl und Carla" started out in May 2013. On their website, they refer to themselves as "Bastian, Stefan, Martin, Richard and Gregor. Four engineers and a business economist. The perfect mix..."
The founders of "Carl und Carla"
Who and what is behind the firm? "Kontakt" wanted to find out, and spoke with Richard Vetter, co-founder and TUD graduate.
"There are five of us, all with mechanical engineering or business management degrees, and we set up shop in Dresden last year. We are based at Technologiezentrum Dresden," says Vetter. "We develop remote door operation and accident detection systems for motor vehicles, and have also launched the VW EuroVan rental company 'Carl und Carla'. We install our technology in the rental vehicles to see whether our system works in practice. The technology we use makes it easy to handle the day-to-day rental processes, and allows us to respond flexibly to customer requirements. In-person handovers are time-consuming for us. They also present an issue for customers, who want flexibility for vehicle pick-up and return. The technology offers our customers maximum flexibility. What is more, we have few location constraints, which allows us to set up and serve smaller pickup sites."
The graduates are currently working on a scenario centered on their future goals. "In light of our successful use of the technical infrastructure, we are planning to start marketing to third-party customers as well, which could include car rental companies and carsharing providers," says Vetter, outlining possible future prospects. At the moment, the focus is on EuroVan rental in Dresden and Leipzig. The concept is to rent out used vehicles in very good condition with that VW bus charm at student prices, for example for small-scale moves, furniture deliveries, or trips with friends.
Renting that "VW bus feeling" is part of the business concept.
You set up your company while you were still a student. Why?
One of us inherited a VW EuroVan. For a student, a group effort was the only way to afford vehicle maintenance. We looked after the vehicle, drove it to Portugal, to the North Cape in Norway and all the way to Ukraine during our semester breaks. More and more friends – and friends of friends – were asking us if they could borrow our van. So, we started renting it out on private carsharing platforms on the Internet to reduce our running costs, and suddenly, our beloved Charly (that's what the van is called) was rarely available for us to use ourselves... We firmly believe that used vans in excellent condition should serve the same purpose as new vehicles, and wanted to share the feeling of freedom the vehicle once gave us with liked-minded people. That is why we set up our company while still at university.
Carsharing is common in Saxony, and vans are available through that route. There are also a number of car rental companies. What makes "Carl und Carla" different?
Our idea is to bridge the gap between the flexibility of carsharing and the freedom of vehicle rental for the first time through customer proximity, excellent service, and marketing in Web 2.0. Our unique selling point is the 'VW bus feeling', so we are deliberately focusing on a specific, young target group. Then there is the price factor: We are cheaper than other rental companies, in part because we rent out used vehicles. It wouldn't have made sense to go after the same target group as everyone else; the competition is too strong for that. We align our marketing with the feeling and target group we are aiming for; that is very important – a nice flyer is not a USP in itself.
What did you study and why?
I studied mechanical engineering from October 2007 to February 2014, specializing in lightweight engineering and polymer technology. I have always been interested in the technical, which is why I chose a degree in engineering.
Why did you choose TUD?
I was born in Dresden, but I didn't grow up here. After graduating from high school, I decided to move back, not least because TUD is an excellent university for mechanical engineering.
Has what you learned in your degree helped you in your current job?
Out of the five of us, four are graduate engineers – in automotive engineering, automation, and design – and one is our commercial expert with a background in business management. We apply our basic technical expertise on a daily basis, and from that perspective, our various skillsets complement each other and we have a well-rounded team.
Does your company have ties to TUD and your former department?
Yes, we have close ties to the Institute of Electronic Packaging Technology at the Faculty of Electrical Engineering. Junior Professor Heuer at the Chair of Sensors for Non-destructive Testing and Structural Health Monitoring is helping us implement the project.
Escape to the countryside with Carlchen the camper van.
"Carl und Carla" has been around for over a year. Can you give us a brief overview?
We started with just "Charly". Now, we have 25 VW EuroVan vehicles, available to rent in the categories "Carl" (vans), "Carla" (9-seaters), and "Carlchen" (camper vans). Our customers are mostly students, young families, clubs, and bands. Our vehicles have already been around the world 14 times (565 000 km) over the last 15 months in terms of total distance traveled, and have been to at least 28 different countries. They have served as "extras" and props in three professional films, and been used by guests at 15 weddings. About 5245 people have traveled with our vehicles so far, transporting around 2068 metric tons.
Thank you for talking to us!
Contact details:
Carl und Carla
Richard Vetter
Tel (Mon. through Fri., 8 am to 8 pm): 0151 58155418
E-Mail: Richard Vetter
Web: