Who wants shared mobility? Lessons from early adopters and mainstream drivers on electric carsharing in Germany

Abstract Shared mobility can contribute to tackling many of the pressing problems from transport and initiate a system change. But who is attracted by shared mobility and who not? How is this related to the attractiveness of electric driving? What are the perceptions underlying those preferences? We try to answer these questions based on two survey studies from Germany with a focus on carsharing. First, we present findings from an online survey (n = 1548) in one of Germany’s showcase regions for electric vehicles (EVs) to analyse the acceptance of carsharing in society. The data analysis shows that perceived compatibility with daily life is the most important factor related to the attitudes towards carsharing and that social norms also play an important role. Second, we analyse early adopters of electric carsharing, i.e. a combination of both innovations in more detail. We draw on a survey (n = 947) from field trials in Germany. We find that – extending the results of study 1 – the users are a socio-demographically specific group. A segmentation revealed that carsharing with EVs is particularly attractive for younger people who (i) live as a couple but without cars or (ii) are starting a family and use carsharing as a supplement to their own cars. The findings from the second study are in line with the first one and also emphasise that the affinity for carsharing and EVs is closely connected. We conclude the paper by discussing the implications of our findings for the transition to low-carbon mobility.