Analysis of Electric Moped Scooter Sharing in Berlin: A Technical, Economic and Environmental Perspective

Abstract

Electric moped scooter sharing services have recently experienced strong growth rates, particularly in Europe. Due to their compactness, environmental-friendliness and convenience, shared e-mopeds are suitable for helping to reduce the environmental impact of urban transport. However, its traffic-related, economic and environmental effects are merely represented in academic research. Therefore, this study investigates the ability of an e-moped sharing system to substitute passenger car trips, and the resulting economic and environmental effects. First, we model fleets of 2500, 10,000 and 50,000 shared e-mopeds in Berlin, based on a passenger car scenario generated by the multi-agent transport simulation framework MATSim. Afterwards, the total cost of ownership and a life cycle assessment are conducted. The results indicate that a substantial part of all passenger car trips in Berlin can be substituted. The larger the fleet, the more and longer trips are replaced. Simultaneously, the efficiency in terms of fleet utilization decreases. The scenario with 10,000 e-mopeds offers the lowest total distance-based costs for sharing operators, whereas a fleet consisting of 2500 vehicles exhibits the lowest environmental emissions per kilometer. Already with today’s grid mix, the use of shared e-mopeds results in a significant reduction in environmental impact compared to conventional and battery-electric passenger cars.

The impact of micromobility on environmental pollution

“…Насупрот поменутим студијама, Wortmann и др. (2021) [14] су у својој студији у Берлину истраживали утицај е-мопеда на животну средину у односу на путничке аутомобиле. Њихова студија се састојала из три сценарија који су се односили на моделирање флоте возила од 2.500, 10.000 и 50.000 дељених емопеда, респективно.…”

A Literature Review of Emerging Research Needs for Micromobility—Integration through a Life Cycle Thinking Approach

“…Likewise, it is suggested to understand the size of the fleets under different scenarios. For instance, a simulation based on MATSim to assess the economic impacts of shared e-moped scooters showed that the larger the fleet, the more and longer trips that are taken by car in Berlin can be replaced [111]. Likewise, vehicle allocation management can be modeled to identify the best and worst vehicles of a fleet based on their mission, age, fuel type, miles per gallon, and cumulative mileage together with a life-cycle cost analysis for each vehicle.…”

“…Moreover, it will be crucial to consider the cost-effectiveness of replacing trips performed by car. For that, the seasonality effects, personal preference/aversion toward new micromobility options, or the effects of specific revenue models should be considered to evaluate which is the optimum number of vehicles in a fleet of shared mobility services [111]. Recently, a floating car data analysis has shown that about 22% of car trips are potentially replaceable by micromobility vehicles, however, this study still lacks in considering the interaction of PMDs with other transport modes and accessibility to public transport.…”

Motives for and Barriers to the Use of Electric Moped Scooter Sharing Services

“…Despite the fact that the availability and popularity of electric moped scooter sharing services is growing rapidly in Europe (Wortmann et al, 2021), in the literature on the subject, there are few studies on the motives for and barriers to using this micro-mobility mode. The main reasons for using a moped scooter-sharing system listed by Spanish consumers were: the benefits of easily parking the moped, flexibility mobility/avoiding traffic jams, a well-functioning system, competitive pricing and environmental awareness (Aguilera-García et al, 2021).…”

“…The shift from "ownership" to "usership" -using resources made available "on demand" or sharing them with others -observed on the mobility market is a response to the negative consequences caused by mass motorization and the rapid increase of the number of private vehicles (Jurczak, 2019;Machado et al, 2018). Despite the increasing development of electric moped scooter sharing services/systems, the subject literature includes far fewer studies on the conditions of their use than in the case of other "sharing" services/systems (Aguilera-García et al, 2021; Bieliński & Ważna, 2020; Eccarius & Lu, 2018, Wortmann et al, 2021. On a dynamically changing market of transport services, understanding the mobility patterns of inhabitants is crucial for urban planners, administrators and transport service providers in order to adapt their services to the evolving needs of consumers (Aguilera-García et al, 2019).…”