Lime's new car-sharing service would be similar to its scooter and bike rentals, as well as programs already in use by Car2Go and ReachNow. With those services, you can reserve cars scattered around the market area via smartphone app and drive them to your destination, leaving them for the next user. Lime's decision to add cars to its bike and scooter-based business model mirrors recent moves by Zipcar, another car-sharing startup; that company recently added bikes to their car-based business.

This move is primed to put Lime in a similar market with Uber, a primary Lime investor. The Information's report posits that the Seattle market is fruitful enough to support both Lime and Uber car services, but the relationship between the two services makes the news worth keeping an eye on. While ride sharing and car rental services are different things, the markets are similar enough that Lime and Uber could potentially see each other as competitors. Like Lime, Uber also offers bike sharing through its Jump bikes.