Carsharing services give users short-term, on-demand access to a fleet of shared vehicles, allowing users to gain the benefits of vehicle ownership without having to take on the additional costs and responsibilities. Since the launch of carsharing services in North America in 1998, three models have emerged: (1) roundtrip carsharing (users pick up and drop off vehicles at the same location); 2) one-way carsharing (users can pick...
As of October 2016, carsharing was operating in 46 countries and six continents, with an estimated 2,095 cities and approximately 15 million members sharing over 157,000 vehicles. Asia, the largest carsharing region measured by membership, accounts for 58% of worldwide membership and 43% of global fleets deployed. The world’s second largest carsharing market, Europe, accounts for 29% of worldwide members and 37% of vehicle fleets.
Peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing employs privately owned vehicles made temporarily available for shared use by an individual or members of a P2P carsharing network. Expenditures, such as insurance, are generally covered by the P2P operator during the access period. In exchange for providing the service, operators keep a portion of the usage fee. Members can access vehicles through a direct key or combination transfer from the owner or through operator-installed technology that enables “unattended access.” Although P2P carsharing is more commonplace in the United Kingdom, Netherlands,...
Two large all electric carsharing programs will be launching in Las Vegas, Nevada and Indianapolis, Indiana in 2014-2015.
In Las Vegas, SHIFT carsharing will be launching in late-2014. SHIFT will feature two services “CoreDrive” and “CityDrive.” CoreDrive will feature a fleet of Smart and Chevrolet Volt electric vehicles designed for short trips within downtown Las Vegas. CityDrive will feature longer-range Tesla Model S vehicles intended for longer trips around the greater Las Vegas metropolitan area. SHIFT members will also have access to a trolley service and SHIFT bikesharing....
Carsharing offers consumers short-term access to vehicles, which facilitates better mobility and reduces the need for personal vehicle ownership. Carsharing does not require consumers to have automobile insurance. Instead, carsharing operators insure their members and are responsible for the risks and liabilities associated with vehicle use....
Carsharing continues to grow worldwide as a powerful strategy to provide an alternative to solo driving. The viability of electric vehicles, or EVs, has been exam-ined in various carsharing business models. Moreover, new technologies have given rise to electromobility, or e-mobility, systems. This paper discusses the evolution of e-mobility in carsharing business models and the challenges and opportunities that EVs present to carsharing operators around the world. Operators are now anticipating in-creased EV proliferation into vehicle fleets over the next 5-10 years as technology,...
Classic roundtrip carsharing has been documented as a strategy to reduce car ownership and vehicle miles/kilometers traveled in urban areas. The expansion of carsharing and other forms of shared-use mobility have led to a growing interest in understanding the latest models. In recent years, one-way carsharing has gained momentum across the globe with 18 operators providing services in ten countries worldwide. One-way carsharing does not require its users to return the vehicle to the same location from which it was accessed (in contrast to roundtrip carsharing). Users typically pay by the...
Susan Shaheen, PhD, Elliot Martin, and Hannah Totte
2020
Reducing carbon emissions from the United States (U.S.) transportation sector has emerged as a priority action to combat climate changeCarsharing and zeroemission vehicles (ZEVs) could be integral to creating a more sustainable transportation system. This paper presents the results of a study that evaluated the impacts of ZEV...
Susan Shaheen, PhD, Elliot Martin, PhD, and Mikaela Hoffman-Stapleton
2019
This paper advances the understanding of peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing within the broader context of shared mobility and its connection to the built environment in the US through a survey conducted in 2014 (n = 1,151). Eleven per cent of respondents used carpooling/ridesharing more, and 19% avoided a vehicle purchase due to P2P vehicle access in urban areas. Nevertheless, P2P carsharing has the potential to operate in a range of land-use environments and could be an important strategy to further deemphasize car ownership. Additionally, as the deployment of automated vehicles (AVs) is...
Carsharing provides members access to a fleet of autos for short-term use throughout the day, reducing the need for one or more personal vehicles. This chapter reviews key terms and definitions for carsharing, common carsharing business models, and existing impact studies. Next, the chapter discusses the commodification and aggregation of mobility services and the role of Mobility on Demand (MOD) and Mobility as a Service (MaaS) on carsharing. Finally, the chapter concludes with a discussion of how the convergence of electrification and automation is changing carsharing, leading to...
