Shared Mobility in the Automotive Sector

1. Definition and Core Concept

Shared mobility refers to a transport model that separates vehicle usage rights from ownership via digital platforms, allowing multiple users to share a single vehicle and access mobility services on an on-demand, pay-per-use basis. Its core principle revolves around transforming vehicles from "private assets" into "shared resources", boosting vehicle utilisation rates whilst easing traffic congestion and parking constraints.

2. Major Business Models

Shared mobility encompasses various operating formats, mainly categorised into three primary models:

Model	Core Features	Key Examples
E-hailing / Carpooling	Matches passenger travel demand with idle vehicle capacity via app platforms, with fares calculated by mileage	DiDi, Uber
Car-sharing (Time-share Rental)	Billed by the minute or hour, allowing users to unlock, drive, and return vehicles on a self-service basis	Car2Go, EVCARD
P2P Car Rental	Private car owners lease out their idle vehicles to other motorists via dedicated platforms	Extensions of traditional car rental platforms

3. Industry Challenges and Practical Hurdles

In practice, car-sharing models such as time-share rentals face severe bottlenecks stemming from their asset-heavy nature and hefty operating costs. High vehicle acquisition and maintenance expenses, inconvenient pick-up and drop-off locations, disputes over parking charges, along with cabin cleanliness and upkeep issues, directly undermine user experience. Subpar vehicle turnover rates make profitability difficult to achieve, prompting several prominent platforms to scale back operations substantially or shutter entirely.

4. Emerging Frontier: Robotaxi

The next phase of shared mobility is converging deeply with autonomous driving technology. Autonomous taxis (Robotaxis) eliminate the need for human drivers to enable round-the-clock automated fleet dispatching, fundamentally driving up asset turnover efficiency. Unlike traditional car-sharing—where vehicle control is handed over to users, leaving operators unable to manage idle downtime—Robotaxis possess autonomous relocation capabilities managed via central dispatch systems. With the global car-sharing market projected to expand to USD 13.45 billion between 2025 and 2030, Robotaxis are widely regarded as a pivotal leap in the evolution of shared transport.