Shared electric vehicles: winning solutions for sustainable mobility
Using electric vehicles in car-sharing services reduces greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions by up to 43% (source: International Council on Clean Transportation). This shared electric mobility solution removes between 5 and 24 cars from the road (source: ICCT). Adopting electric cars addresses the mobility management challenges in U.S. cities. This sustainable urban mobility solution makes even more sense during events like the U.S. National Drive Electric Week. What are the benefits of integrating electric vehicles into the fleet of shared mobility solutions?
What is shared mobility?
Shared mobility encompasses all services where vehicles are shared by a group of users. These shared mobility solutions offer cleaner and more cost-effective transportation options. They make city travel more convenient for short distances with bikes, scooters, and electric scooters. Carpooling and car-sharing services are suitable for out-of-town travel or medium and long distances. So, how do different shared mobility services work?
How shared mobility services work
Shared mobility relies on either vehicle-sharing or short-term rental systems. To access a vehicle, users typically connect via a mobile app. Shared mobility operators manage their fleet of shared vehicles, which may include cars, bikes, or scooters. These operators are either businesses or individual users.
Carpooling and public transit offer ride-sharing services, where a single vehicle transports multiple passengers. Car-sharing, bike-sharing, and scooter-sharing are forms of autonomous transportation. Users of these services have short-term rental contracts and must pick up and return the vehicle either to a designated station or a defined area.
Mobility as a Service (MaaS): Making new mobility solutions easier
The need for shared mobility solutions isn't limited to large cities like New York and Los Angeles. A majority of Americans are looking for alternatives to private car ownership. Mobility as a Service (MaaS) facilitates the growth of new mobility options by allowing users to combine different modes of sustainable transportation. With one mobile app, you can access various shared mobility services.
For example, you could take an electric bus to a bike-share station, ride the bike to your destination, and finish the last leg of your trip on foot. On the way back, you might use a shared electric vehicle for your grocery run, then switch to another shared mobility option to get home.
Shared mobility and electric cars: the winning combination
In the U.S., there’s growing momentum to transition to zero-emission transportation, with the Biden Administration setting ambitious goals for electric vehicle (EV) adoption. The goal is to achieve net-zero carbon emissions by 2050. Shared mobility, whether autonomous or group-based, is a key part of meeting these ambitious targets.
Cities across the U.S. are implementing low-emission zones (LEZs), where only electric or low-emission vehicles are allowed to operate. This gives electric vehicles a major advantage in urban areas. The expansion of electric vehicle charging infrastructure nationwide, including incentives and funding for EVs, is critical to this transition.
Americans favor the expansion of car-sharing services
A Harris Poll for Getaround found that 74% of Americans support the expansion of car-sharing services. There are four main types of car-sharing:
- Round-trip car-sharing: Users must return the vehicle to the same station where it was picked up.
- Free-floating car-sharing: No reservation is required. Users find a parked vehicle nearby and return it to any designated parking space.
- One-way car-sharing: Users pick up a car at one location and return it to another.
- Peer-to-peer car-sharing: Private vehicle owners rent out their cars, with or without an intermediary platform managing the transactions.
As of 2021, about 5% of Americans are using car-sharing services (source: U.S. Department of Transportation). You can reserve an electric vehicle in your neighborhood through our shared mobility service, Getaround. Trust the leading car-sharing platform in the U.S. to get you where you need to go, whether you're staying in the city or traveling beyond. Sign up today on our mobile app to find an electric vehicle near you!
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