Business model innovation for car sharing and sustainable urban mobility
Mobility services such as car and ride sharing are increasingly seen as a means to shift towards a more sustainable transport system, and are linked to better urban management; improvements in energy efficiency and urban air quality; greater use of renewable fuels; reduced congestion and improved accessibility. Although spurred by new mobile technologies and applications, car sharing is primarily a non-technological innovation focusing on changes in travel behaviour as a practice, new markets and business model innovation.
Business model innovation is critical to the commercialisation of new technologies, and several works have noted that new business models based on car sharing may unlock the economic potential of electric vehicle technology and assist in its adoption.
But can business model innovation overcome barriers to the adoption of car sharing in less densely populated settings? And what is the link between car sharing business models and the uptake of environmentally-friendly vehicle technologies? In this study, we seek to address these issues by posing the following research question: How can business model innovation in the field of car sharing contribute to a sustainable reorientation of the Nordic road transport system?