Page - 148 - in Critical Issues in Science, Technology and Society Studies - Conference Proceedings of the 17th STS Conference Graz 2018

Car sharing – a feasible way to a low-carbon mobility system? GEORGE, Cyriac, FARSTAD, Eivind, LANGELAND, Ove Institute of Transport Economics, Oslo, Norway 1. Introduction This paper examines car sharing as an emerging innovation that has the potential to contribute to a more energy efficient and low-carbon mobility system. Although it does not represent a radically new technology, car sharing challenges the foundations of the current mobility system, which is based on private ownership. By combining approaches from the study of socio- technical transitions and social practice theories, it seeks to provide new insights into how innovative technologies and practices are used and their potential impacts. The paper discusses the following research question: “How can car sharing contribute to a decarbonisation of the road transport system and to a low-carbon mobility system?” Moving towards a more resource-efficient and carbon-neutral mobility system is a key challenge in the years ahead, especially in urban areas. Systemic mobility challenges are often perceived as being technical in nature. Accordingly, technological innovations, such as hybrid and battery electric vehicles, are often regarded as the best means to achieve efficiency and sustainability. It is likely, however, that the deep structural changes associated with a systemic transition would also involve social or organisational innovations. Although spurred by new mobile technologies and applications, car sharing is primarily related to non-technological innovations focusing on changing mobility practices, new markets and new forms of cooperation and business models. The paper utilises desktop studies and in-depth interviews with car sharing operators, users and potential users from ongoing projects. It draws on both socio-technical and practice theory to derive theoretical and practical insights regarding car sharing as a potential pathway, or component thereof, to a more sustainable mobility system. Preliminary results indicate that car sharing can influence changes in established (private car-dependent) mobility practices at the household level. 2. Car sharing Carsharing refers to multiple users having access to individual cars on a short-term rental basis through a formal service provider or intermediary (Truffer, 2003, Shared Use Mobility Center [SUMC], 2016). Users can pay for the use based on time, distance or both. Car sharing is particularly attractive to people who make only occasional use of a car or wants access to different types of cars. Car sharing can take a variety of forms in terms of operational and business model. Some service providers are for-profit while others are non-profit entities. Car sharing may be their core business or a part of a larger business portfolio. Car sharing can also be separated in different operational models such as round-trip, wherein users return the car to the same place it was accessed, and point-to-point or free-floating systems, wherein users to begin and end a trip at different locations within a specified geographical zone (Martin and Shaheen 2016). Carsharing can also be divided by market segments, such as: business-to- consumer (B2C), business-to- business (B2B) and peer-to-peer (P2P). 148