Carsharing: a practical tool for professional fleets
Principle and operation:
- Carsharing is based on a simple system: reservation via a site or an application, vehicles equipped with connected boxes, opening by badge or smartphone, keys in the glove box.
- The solution can be restricted to certain employees or open to all, facilitating the discovery of electric vehicles or the movement in low emission zones (ZFe-m).
- Several parameters are configurable (delay and duration of reservations, access times, etc.).
- Carsharing can be a loop (returning the vehicle to the starting point) or with possible return on another equipped site.
Additional features:
- Possibility of connecting employees to do carpooling, reducing trips and emissions, while promoting conviviality.
- User training and support, especially on driving electric vehicles, are essential for successful adoption. Internal ambassadors can facilitate this change.
Electric vehicles in carsharing
- Electric vehicles are offered but their adoption depends on the driver's choice.
- By default, some companies select a vehicle adapted to the trip, often electric if the distance is compatible.
- In some cases, automatic allocation of electric power is envisaged but not systematic, because there are still obstacles (habit, autonomy, automatic gearbox).
- Training and support are important to reassure and encourage the use of electricity.
Testimonial — Essonne Department
- Since 2019, carsharing has replaced traditional pools: 175 vehicles shared across 20 sites, with 760 users and 2,000 monthly bookings.
- Carsharing improves traceability, flexibility of use (no need to go looking for keys), and allows loans to be borrowed outside of conventional hours.
- The tool also makes it possible to block vehicles under maintenance.
Maintenance management and condition of vehicles
- Some service providers include maintenance and cleaning in their offers.
- The condition of the vehicle is checked before and after each use via the application, with the possibility of photos, which makes users responsible and limits damage.
- Fleets must manage maintenance rigorously for safety reasons, for example checking the condition of the tires.
- For some users without a professional smartphone, reporting information can be more complex.
Looped car sharing — example of Roubaix
- The city has inaugurated a looped station with gas-powered Citroën C3 cars. Users book and unlock via smartphone.
- Since 2012, Roubaix has also operated a station managed by the Citiz Lille Arras cooperative.
Conclusion
Carsharing in companies and communities is a practical, flexible and scalable solution, promoting the transition to more sustainable forms of mobility, in particular electric ones, with the necessary framework for vehicle management and user support.
#covoiturage, #IA, #mobilité
