Analysis of business opportunities for car-related shared mobility services

The confluence of digital technology and connectivity has led, in several sectors, to the rise of application-based shared economy activities. In particular, in the mobility sector, there has been an increase in on-demand shared transport initiatives. These new business models are transforming the urban mobility sector from a limited choice of transport services to a scenario full of new players offering different types of demand responsive mobility services. This change in urban mobility also has an impact on the automotive industry, where manufacturers such as SEAT not only see the opportunity for their cars to be used by these new services, but begin as well to see themselves as potential providers of mobility services. Even so, for the time being, the most popular and widespread shared mobility services remain unprofitable. For this reason, the thesis analyses the business models of the new shared mobility services, with the aim of proposing improvements to increase their profitability. It also identifies the different uses that can be given to them and the factors to be taken into account in the design and implementation process. The methodology used for this research is the study of cases, which have been conducted through surveys and interviews. The research begins with the study of the current and future mobility ecosystem and the behaviour of the automobile industry in this context. Next, the following five case studies are developed. The first analyses the business models of shared mobility services provided by cars –i.e. carsharing, ridesharing, and ride-hailing services– to find out synergies between them for proposing a combined business model. The second aims to study the mobility patterns of citizens and their intention to use shared mobility services. The third and fourth case studies focus on the identification of design factors and use cases of on-demand shared ride-hailing services. This part of the research looks at these services given their potential when cars are autonomous, and the opportunities that the software they use represents for public transport, with buses that could become demand responsive transport services. Finally, the fifth case study analyses the mobility ecosystem from the perspective of local governments and providers of technology and insurance, studies the feasibility of the combination of uses in shared mobility services, and detects the barriers faced by these new business models.La confluència de la tecnologia digital i la connectivitat ha motivat, en diversos sectors, l'auge de les activitats d'economia compartida basades en aplicacions. Concretament, en el sector de la mobilitat s'ha experimentat un creixement de les iniciatives de transport compartit a demanda. Aquests nous models de negoci estan transformant el sector de la mobilitat urbana, que passa de tenir una oferta limitada de serveis de transport a un escenari ple de nous actors que ofereixen diferents serveis de mobilitat a la carta. Aquest canvi en la mobilitat urbana també impacta en la indústria de l'automòbil, on fabricants com SEAT no només veuen l'oportunitat que els seus cotxes siguin utilitzats per aquests nous serveis, sinó que a més a més es comencen a veure com a possibles proveïdors de serveis de mobilitat. Tot i això, de moment, els serveis de mobilitat compartida més populars i estesos continuen sense ser rendibles. Per aquesta raó, la tesi portada a terme analitza els models de negoci dels nous serveis de mobilitat compartida, amb l’objectiu de proposar millores que permetin augmentar la seva rendibilitat. També s'identifiquen els diferents usos que se'ls hi pot donar i els factors que cal tenir en compte a l’hora de dissenyar-los i implementar-los. La metodologia utilitzada per a aquesta investigació és l'estudi de casos, els quals s'han desenvolupat a través d'enquestes i entrevistes. La recerca comença amb l'estudi de l'ecosistema de mobilitat actual i futur, i el comportament de la indústria de l'automòbil en aquest context. Tot seguit es desenvolupen cinc casos d'estudi. En el primer s'analitzen els models de negoci dels serveis de mobilitat compartida que s’ofereixen amb cotxes, es a dir, els serveis de carsharing, ridesharing i ride-hailing, amb la finalitat de trobar sinergies entre ells per a proposar un model de negoci combinat. El segon té com a objectiu estudiar els patrons de mobilitat dels ciutadans i la seva intenció en utilitzar els serveis de mobilitat compartida. El tercer i el quart cas d'estudi se centren a identificar els factors de disseny i els casos d'ús dels serveis d'on- demand shared ride-hailing. Aquesta part de la investigació es fixa en aquests serveis pel potencial que poden tenir quan els cotxes siguin autònoms, i per les oportunitats que el software que utilitzen representen per al transport públic, amb busos que podrien convertir-se en serveis de transport a demanda. Per últim, en el cinquè cas d'estudi s'analitza l’ecosistema de mobilitat des de la perspectiva dels governs locals i dels proveïdors de tecnologia i d'assegurances, s'estudia la viabilitat de la combinació d'usos en els serveis de mobilitat compartida, i es detecten quines són les barreres amb què es troben aquests nous models de negoci.La confluencia de la tecnología digital y la conectividad ha motivado, en varios sectores, el auge de las actividades de economía compartida basadas en aplicaciones. Concretamente, en el sector de la movilidad se ha experimentado un crecimiento de las iniciativas de transporte compartido a la demanda. Estos nuevos modelos de negocio están transformando el sector de la movilidad urbana, que pasa de tener una oferta limitada de servicios de transporte a un escenario lleno de nuevos actores que ofrecen diferentes servicios de movilidad a la carta. Este cambio en la movilidad urbana también impacta en la industria del automóvil, donde fabricantes como SEAT no solo ven la oportunidad que sus coches sean utilizados por estos nuevos servicios, sino que además se empiezan a ver como posibles proveedores de servicios de movilidad. Aun así, por el momento, los servicios de movilidad compartida más populares y extendidos continúan sin ser rentables. Por esta razón, la tesis llevada a cabo analiza los modelos de negocio de los nuevos servicios de movilidad compartida, con el objetivo de proponer mejoras que permitan aumentar su rentabilidad. También se identifican los diferentes usos que se les puede dar y los factores a tener en cuenta en el proceso de diseño e implementación. La metodología utilizada para esta investigación es el estudio de casos, los cuales se han desarrollado por medio de encuestas y entrevistas. La investigación empieza con el estudio del ecosistema de movilidad actual y futuro, y el comportamiento de la industria del automóvil en este contexto. Posteriormente se desarrollan cinco casos de estudio. En el primero se analizan los modelos de negocio de los servicios de movilidad compartida que se ofrecen con coches, es decir, los servicios de carsharing, ridesharing y ride-hailing, con el fin de encontrar sinergias entre ellos para proponer un modelo de negocio combinado. El segundo tiene como objetivo estudiar los patrones de movilidad de los ciudadanos y su intención al utilizar los servicios de movilidad compartida. El tercer y el cuarto caso de estudio se centran en identificar los factores de diseño y los casos de uso de los servicios de on-demand shared ride-hailing. Esta parte de la investigación se centra en estos servicios por su potencial con la llegada del coche autónomo, y por las oportunidades que el software que utilizan representan para el transporte público, con autobuses que podrían convertirse en servicios de transporte a la demanda. Por último, en el quinto caso de estudio se analiza el ecosistema de movilidad desde la perspectiva de los gobiernos locales y de los proveedores de tecnología y seguros, se estudia la viabilidad de la combinación de usos en los servicios de movilidad compartida, y se detectan cuáles son las barreras para estos nuevos modelos de negocio

Sustainable Mobility and Transport

This Special Issue is dedicated to sustainable mobility and transport, with a special focus on technological advancements. Global transport systems are significant sources of air, land, and water emissions. A key motivator for this Special Issue was the diversity and complexity of mitigating transport emissions and industry adaptions towards increasingly stricter regulation. Originally, the Special Issue called for papers devoted to all forms of mobility and transports. The papers published in this Special Issue cover a wide range of topics, aiming to increase understanding of the impacts and effects of mobility and transport in working towards sustainability, where most studies place technological innovations at the heart of the matter. The goal of the Special Issue is to present research that focuses, on the one hand, on the challenges and obstacles on a system-level decision making of clean mobility, and on the other, on indirect effects caused by these changes

Internal report cluster 1: Urban freight innovations and solutions for sustainable deliveries (2/4)

Technical report about sustainable urban freight solutions, part 2 of

Prospects for Electric Mobility: Systemic, Economic and Environmental Issues

The transport sector, which is currently almost completely based on fossil fuels, is one of the major contributors to greenhouse gas emissions. Heading towards a more sustainable development of mobility could be possible with more energy efficient automotive technologies such as battery electric vehicles. The number of electric vehicles has been increasing over the last decade, but there are still many challenges that have to be solved in the future. This Special Issue “Prospects for Electric Mobility: Systemic, Economic and Environmental Issues” contributes to the better understanding of the current situation as well as the future prospects and impediments for electro mobility. The published papers range from historical development of electricity use in different transport modes and the recent challenges up to future perspectives

Towards a smart and sustainable single European transport area : an assessment of the past 10 years of EU regulation

For more than a decade, hundreds of experts have gathered at the hills overlooking Florence to analyse the evolution of European transport policy and regulation at the call of the Florence School of Regulation (FSR). This book reflects the discussions in Florence, and more broadly, it documents the evolution of transport regulation in the European Union. The purpose of this book is to share the knowledge we at FSR Transport have built as privileged observers by bringing to the forefront the most interesting pieces in our “Observers”. In particular, we have selected the more relevant valuative pieces opening our Observers over the last decade whilst organising them according to the topic they address in four different blocks. We open with the rail block, as rail was the original topic of most of our Forums. Aviation has also received a lot of our attention, and in particular, Air Traffic Management and the Single European Sky, which in turn, have their own dedicated sub-block. We close with a block on intermodality, which has drawn increasing attention. The texts have not been edited for the book other than minor temporal references to improve readability. We have included as opening pieces our “Manifesto for the Next Five Years of EU Regulation of Transport”, published in November 2019 ahead of the start of the von der Leyen Commission’s mandate, and an update for a post-COVID-19 recovery, published in June 2020. In these documents, a more comprehensive vision of the challenges in EU transport regulation is provided.-- Introduction -- PART I : Towards a Smart and Sustainable Single European Transport Area -- Manifesto for the Next Five Years of EU -- Regulation of Transport -- Manifesto for a post-COVID-19 Recovery Towards Smarter and More Sustainable Transport -- PART II : Railways as the Backbone of the European Transport System -- Modal Shift: The Moment of Truth. Main Takeaways and Lessons Learnt from the European Year of Rail -- Building a European Railway Network for Long-Distance Passenger Services -- State Aid in a Sustainable and Smart Railway Ecosystem -- From National Railway Infrastructures to a Pan-European Freight Network -- How to Revitalise Rail Freight with Digitalisation? -- Green Finance and Sustainability: Is there a Space for Railways? -- What is Wrong with European Rail Freight? -- Private Financing of European Railway Infrastructure? -- Competition in the Passenger Railways in Europe -- Railways in the Age of Digitalisation? -- Competition in the Railway Passenger Market -- Security: Rail is NOT Air! -- Regulating the Performance of European Railways: What can we learn from Air Transport? -- The Digital Single European Railway Area: How to Think it? -- Rail Freight Corridors: The Challenges Ahead -- The 4th Railway Package: Further Challenges for the Regulator -- Financing Railways: What Role for Regulation? -- PART III - Aviation: Facing the Dual Challenges of Decarbonisation and Competitiveness -- A Resilient European Aviation Market: Lessons Learnt -- What Role for Competition Rules when Restarting Aviation? -- Decarbonising Aviation…but how? -- Airports as ‘Enablers’ for the Aviation Sector’s Take-Off Towards Net-Zero Carbon Emissions -- Air Services Regulation: Some Need for Review -- Navigating Towards a More Efficient Airport Slots Allocation Regime in Europe -- PART IV - Modernising European Air Traffic Management -- The European Economic Regulator, a Catalyst for an overdue Change in ATM Governance -- Context and History of Air Traffic Management Data Services -- What can Air Traffic Management Learn From Electricity? -- Incentivising the Evolution Towards Interoperability -- How to Better Align the Performance Scheme? -- Air Traffic Management: Why a Technological Disruption is needed – and why it is coming -- Regulating Drones: What is the Right Approach? -- Which Governance for SESAR Deployment? -- From Single European Sky Gridlock to Air Traffic Control Markets to Evolving the Role of EUROCONTROL -- PART V - When the Modes Come Together: Towards Increasingly Intermodal Transport Regulation -- Multimodal Ticketing: What Kind of Regulation is Necessary? -- How to Think the Greening of European Cargo Operations? -- Placing Governance Considerations at the Core of the Sustainable Urban Mobility Indicators’ Design Process -- COVID-19: An Opportunity to Redesign Mobility Towards Greater Sustainability and Resilience? -- Integrated Multimodal Ticketing Will Not Happen Without Clear Rules About Data Sharing -- Pricing, Regulation and Rethinking of Mobility Needs is Required for Transport to Fully Account for its External Costs -- Obstacles on the Road to the European Single Market for Road Transport -- In the Era of Digitalisation and in Order to Achieve an Intermodal Level Playing Field, do we Need to Regulate? -- Mobility-As-A-Service: From the Regulation of Transport as a Sector to the Regulation of Transport as a Service? -- Low-Cost Air and High-Speed Rail: An Untapped Potential for Complementarity

Contributions to sustainable urban transport : decision support for alternative mobility and logistics concepts

Increasing transport activities in cities are a substantial driver for congestion and pollution, influencing urban populations’ health and quality of life. These effects are consequences of ongoing urbanization in combination with rising individual demand for mobility, goods, and services. With the goal of increased environmental sustainability in urban areas, city authorities and politics aim for reduced traffic and minimized transport emissions. To support more efficient and sustainable urban transport, this cumulative dissertation focuses on alternative transport concepts. For this purpose, scientific methods and models of the interdisciplinary information systems domain combined with elements of operations research, transportation, and logistics are developed and investigated in multiple research contributions. Different transport concepts are examined in terms of optimization and acceptance to provide decision support for relevant stakeholders. In more detail, the overarching topic of urban transport in this dissertation is divided into the complexes urban mobility (part A) in terms of passenger transport and urban logistics (part B) with a focus on the delivery of goods and services. Within part A, approaches to carsharing optimization are presented at various planning levels. Furthermore, the user acceptance of ridepooling is investigated. Part B outlines several optimization models for alternative urban parcel and e-grocery delivery concepts by proposing different network structures and transport vehicles. Conducted surveys on intentional use of urban logistics concepts give valuable hints to providers and decision makers. The introduced approaches with their corresponding results provide target-oriented support to facilitate decision making based on quantitative data. Due to the continuous growth of urban transport, the relevance of decision support in this regard, but also the understanding of the key drivers for people to use certain services will further increase in the future. By providing decision support for urban mobility as well as urban logistics concepts, this dissertation contributes to enhanced economic, social, and environmental sustainability in urban areas

Economic and Policy Challenges of the Energy Transition in CEE Countries

With the announcement of the European Green Deal, which defines a set of policy initiatives aimed at achieving a 50–55% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and making Europe climate neutral in 2050, the challenge of energy transition becomes even more critical. The transformation of national energy systems towards sustainability is progressing throughout all Central and Eastern European (CEE) countries, yet the goals and results are different. Most EU Member States have made substantial progress towards meeting their long-term commitments of emissions reductions. However, some bloc members have struggled to meet their obligations. An effective energy transition requires the introduction of appropriately designed policy instruments and of robust economic analyses that ensure the best possible outcomes at the lowest costs for society. In this context, this Special Issue aims to bring into the discussion the challenges that CEE countries have to face and overcome while undergoing energy transition

Gestaltung nachhaltiger Logistik-Konzepte im urbanen Wirtschaftsverkehr : Entscheidungsunterstützung mit Optimierungsmodellen

Die vorliegende kumulative Dissertation stellt die Zusammenfassung von zehn wissenschaftlichen Artikeln im Bereich des urbanen Wirtschaftsverkehrs dar. Dabei geht es grundsätzlich um die Untersuchung neuer Logistik-Konzepte als Lösungsansatz für eine gleichzeitige Berücksichtigung ökonomischer und ökologischer Ziele bei der Ausübung von Transportaktivitäten in urbanen Räumen. Dazu werden mathematische Optimierungsmodelle und Entscheidungsunterstützungssysteme präsentiert, welche den Zielkonflikt zwischen einer Kosten- und einer Emissionsminimierung adressieren. Diese sind durch die Anwendung von Methoden des Operations Research und der Informationssystem-Forschung entstanden. Darüber hinaus erfolgt die kritische Reflektion über die behandelten Themen, die genutzten Forschungsmethoden und die entwickelten Lösungsansätze. Drei Themen werden in der Dissertation ausführlich dargestellt: (1) Nachhaltige urbane Paketzustellung: Es wird ein Optimierungsmodell präsentiert, welches in ein Entscheidungsunterstützungssystem eingebettet ist und die bestmögliche Gestaltung eines alternativen Logistik-Konzepts für die Zustellung von Paketen in Städten ermöglicht. Dabei geht es um die Bestimmung der Positionen von Mikro-Depots als Orte der Zwischenlagerung sowie der dazugehörigen Fahrzeugflotte. (2) Nachhaltige e-Grocery Zustellung: Für die Lieferung von online bestellten Verbrauchsgütern wie Lebensmitteln oder Haushaltsartikeln wird ein neues Logistik-Konzept entworfen. Hierbei erfolgt eine Verkürzung der letzten Meile durch den Einsatz von temperierten Umschlagspunkten sowie eine Integration von Lastenfahrrädern und Kunden-Selbstabholungen. Ein dreistufiger Lösungsansatz ermöglicht die Optimierung der Standorte der Umschlagspunkten sowie der Fahrzeugrouten. (3) Individuelle Routenoptimierung: Es wird ein Entscheidungsunterstützungssystem zur Modellierung sowie Lösung von individualisierbaren Tourenplanungsproblemen präsentiert. Das flexible Tool ermöglicht die Abbildung von benutzerspezifischen Problemcharakteristika und die Umwandlung in ein entsprechendes Optimierungsmodell, sodass diverse Branchen bei der Routenplanung unterstützt werden können

Achieving a technical transition from internal combustion engine vehicles to battery electric vehicles in the automotive sector in Europe: challenges and strategies

The European Union (EU) aims to reduce overall carbon dioxide emissions at least 80% by 2050. For road transport, this involves at least a 95% reduction target for 2050, compared to 1990 levels. Most commentators believe that achieving this target requires a transition from internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) to battery electric vehicles (BEVs). However, such transition demands fundamental changes in the whole automotive value chain. This research argues that the required changes in the automotive value chain might be achieved by i) an industrial structure enabling the mass production of BEVs ii) understanding and supporting the development of newcomers that are in the majority of micro, small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) in emerging BEV sector and iii) use of target instruments by governments to accelerate the development of BEV value chain and industrial structure. Based on this strategy, three stage study was performed. This involved i) exploring the present BEV industry structure and compatible future structure ii) exploring the approach of SMEs to emerging BEV sector to understand and support these actors and iii) developing and trialling a novel framework enabling the pre-implementation analysis of putative policy measures. In each stage of the research, different methodologies were used. This included an analysis of supply chain for BEVs in North-West Europe (NWE); semi-structured in-depth interviews with SMEs throughout NWE and development and application of an “adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system” (ANFIS) based framework. This study contributes to the body of knowledge by investigating the implications of BEVs on the supply chains and exploring what competences and capacities might be needed for mass production of BEVs in Europe. Secondly, this research proposed that economic growth and emission reduction targets established in the existing economic strategy of the EU (Europe 2020 strategy) might be achieved, and a significant contribution to achieve the 2050 emission reduction target might be made by supporting SME development. Support areas for SMEs were also identified. Lastly, to support national governments in making informed decisions, an ANFIS framework providing an ex-ante impact of various innovation decisions was offered