Microsimulation of Organised Car Sharing – Model Predications and Policy Implications.

This paper presents the results of a range of tests of organised car sharing schemes. The performance of the schemes is predicted using a sophisticated microsimulation model. A brief resume of the model is followed by a description of the tests and an analysis of their results. Conclusions are drawn on the place of organised car sharing within broader transport policies, the performance of the model when compared to the available empirical data and directions for public research. The tests here presented include: a series of sensitivity analyses; tests of organisational strategies for car sharing schemes; tests of schemes in a variety of locations and at a variety of scales and finally a batch of tests which investigate the effect of major changes in the operating environment of car sharing schemes - changes in the price of fuel and public transport fares and the provision of parking space incentives for car sharers for example

Forecasting the state of health of electric vehicle batteries to evaluate the viability of car sharing practices

Car sharing practices are introducing electric vehicles into their fleet. However, literature suggests that at this point shared electric vehicle systems are failing to reach satisfactory commercial viability. Potential reason for this is the effect of higher vehicle usage which is characteristic for car sharing, and the implication on the battery state of health. In this paper, we forecast state of health for two identical electric vehicles shared by two different car sharing practices. For this purpose, we use real life transaction data from charging stations and different electric vehicles’ sensors. The results indicate that insight into users’ driving and charging behaviour can provide valuable point of reference for car sharing system designers. In particular, the forecasting results show that the moment when electric vehicle battery reaches its theoretical end of life can differ in as much as ¼ of time when vehicles are shared under different conditions

Car Sharing and Peak Spreading Studies in Sheffield: Final Report.

This Study of two firms in Sheffield city centre has been carried out under a contract with LTR2 Division of the Department of Transport, dated 28th March 1980. The Department of Transport has been interested for some time in various aspects of car-sharing, and the impact on car sharing of different work hour arrangements, and had previously carried out surveys of car-sharers in Government offices at Longbenton, Newcastle upon Tyne (TAU 1977) and Llanishen, Cardiff (TAU 1979) where flexible working hours were in operation. This study was designed as a continuation of those studies, in a city centre area where car parking was severely restricted. The prime objective was to measure levels of car sharing in locations with higher levels of public transport provision but more restricted parking, for later comparison with the results from Longbeutzen and Llanishen. The need for the study was occasioned by the desire to know more about the factors which influence people to share cars, and the characteristics of existing spontaneously formed car-sharing arrangements and participants. To obtain this information, details of the travel and work habits of the workforce concerned had to be collected and analysed. It was considered useful to try to establish any characteristics common to ad-hoc car-sharing participants as a basis for suggesting possible causal factors. The form of the study, in terms of the type of data collected, and its subsequent tabulation, was largely shaped by the need to provide data comparable to that collected in the aforementioned studies at Longbenton and Llanishen. Other work in the Institute on the prediction of demand for car- sharing (Bonsall, 1980) and the establishment of experimental carsharing schemes (Bonsall et al, 1980) provided a useful basis for comparing the survey requirements for identifying potential car-sharers with those for identifying existing ones

Circular Economy Snapshot: BMW Drivenow

BMW's views of the future of car ownership influenced its decision to enter the car-sharing business. DriveNow estimates that an average car is used only about 4% of the time and with half the global population predicted to live in cities by 2050 and parking becoming ever more difficult, urban residents are increasingly looking for alternatives to ownership. Observing that in cities that have embraced car-sharing a single such vehicle has the potential to replace dozens of cars, the company determined it needed to be in the car-sharing sector. It also allows BMW to access customers it normally has trouble reaching, as the average age of the company's buyer is in their mid-40s but the average age of a car sharing user is 32. Younger generations are not as attached to car ownership and continue to make multi-modal choices in transportation.While in the past BMW Group was in the business of selling cars, by the year 2020 it has a vision to be the world's leading provider of premium vehicles and premium services for individual mobility – where cars are provided as a mobility service. The company is equally seeking to make mobility climate-friendly and easy on resources, and has been increasingly combining its car-sharing offers with electric drivetrain solutions which generate zero emissions.Their newest electric vehicle model (i3) incorporates recycled and eco-friendly materials and is being introduced to DriveNow customers

To Sell and to Provide? The Economic and Environmental Implications of the Auto Manufacturer's Involvement in the Car Sharing Business

Motivated by the involvement of Daimler and BMW in the car sharing business we consider an OEM who contemplates introducing a car sharing program. The OEM designs its product line by accounting for the trade-off between driving performance and fuel efficiency. Customers have different valuations of driving performance and decide whether to buy, join car sharing, or rely on their outside option. Car sharing can increase the profit from selling. This happens when the OEM prefers to serve the lower-end customers through car sharing and the higher-end through selling. In this case, car sharing increases the efficiency of the vehicles used for the lower-end, and the price charged to the higher-end customers. This is more pronounced for higher-end OEMs, which may help explain Daimler's and BMW's involvement in car sharing. Despite the higher efficiency, car sharing may lower the OEM's Corporate Average Fuel Economy (CAFE) level even when it increases profit and decreases environmental impact. CAFE levels better reflect the environmental benefits of car sharing when they are based on the number of customers served and not the production volume. Finally, if anticipating aggressive CAFE standards, OEMs may include car sharing to better absorb the increase in the production cost

Car Sharing and Relocation Strategies: a Case Study Comparison in the Italian Market

The sharing economy represents an economic model based on the sharing of goods and services. In particular, this paper examines car sharing model, an attractive alternative to a self-owned car which has found large interest in the recent literature in different research fields. This study aims to investigate innovative and effective relocation strategies based on the analysis of data on users’ consumptions, for the constantly growing car sharing system. For this purpose, after a literature review, the paper presents a case study focused on the car repositioning algorithm developed by one of the market leader in this sector: car2go. More in detail, the paper evaluates differences and similarities in the strategic management of this model within the Italian context, through a comparison among the cities of Rome and Milan. Empirical results and practical implications for users will be provided, by highlighting opportunities and threats concerning the different settings