• Energy Research

The article was dedicated to the topic of energy consumption of driving cars equipped with an electric motor. Due to the emerging demands for the excessive use of energy by vehicles (including car-sharing system vehicles), the authors carried out research to determine factors that affect the energy consumption. Due to the occurrence of a research gap related to the lack of reliable scientific information regarding real electricity consumption by vehicles used in car-sharing systems, the authors attempted to determine these values based on the proposed research experiment. The purpose of the research was to identify factors that increase energy consumption while driving in the case of car-sharing systems and developing recommendations for users of car-sharing systems and system operators in relation to energy consumption. Based on data received from car-sharing system operators and to their demands that users move cars uneconomically and use too much energy, the authors performed a scientific experiment based on Hartley’s plan. The authors made journeys with electric cars from car-sharing (measurements) in order to compare real consumption with data obtained from operators. As a result, the authors developed a list of factors that negatively affect the energy consumption of electric vehicles from car-sharing systems. As conclusion, a number of recommendations were developed for car-sharing system operators on how to manage their systems to reduce excessive energy consumption in electric vehicles.

Short-term car rental services called “car-sharing” or “carsharing” are systems that in recent years have been an alternative form of transport by individual car in an increasing number of cities around the world. With the growing popularity of services, new decision-making problems have arisen among system operators. Among the challenges faced by operators, due to the constantly growing environmental requirements, is the fleet of vehicles for car-sharing systems-appropriate selection. Noticing this research gap, this article was dedicated to determining the criteria that are important when choosing a fleet of vehicles for car-sharing and to indicate the best suited to the needs of car-sharing vehicles. Own research was proposed, considering desk research, expert research and analyses using the multi-criteria decision support method (ELECTRE III). This research was carried out for the Polish market of car-sharing services. Studying the Polish market is appropriate due to the occurrence of significant difficulties with the fleet incorrectly adjusted to the needs of urban conditions. This study covers vehicles with conventional, electric, hybrid and hydrogen propulsion. The analyses allowed for the determination of the vehicles best suited to the needs of car-sharing. The results show the dominance of hydrogen-powered vehicles over conventional, hybrid and electric vehicles. What is more, it was determined that the most important criteria are the purchase price of the vehicle and energy/fuel consumption per 100 km. The obtained results are a guide to proceeding when making decisions regarding the implementation or modernization of the fleet in car-sharing systems. The results also support achieving more sustainable urban mobility in the zero-emission trend through hydrogen mobility.

The implementation of new mobility solutions based on electric vehicles such as electric cars, electric scooters, and electric bikes, in urban transport systems, may bring several advantages for society, from environmental and economic benefits to improved quality of life. Nevertheless, we witness a scarcity of education and promotion that supports electric mobility, which can lead to social barriers due to the lack of knowledge. Consequently, people may be discouraged from using new transport technologies. The article focuses on electric mobility issues and present the original concept of electric mobility education. The goal of the work is to identify appropriate educational methods, useful during teaching about electric mobility at different levels of education. The concept focuses on education from primary school to long-life learning. Presented pedagogical concept is based on the three main pillars of pedagogy as diagnosis, forecasting, and content developing. It was developed based on expert research and diagnosed challenges and education gaps during teaching about electric mobility. The concept includes many techniques of education, from the classic methods as lectures and working with books to new educational solutions as e-learning. The original concept of electric mobility education creates new opportunities to promote electric mobility and support the process of creating new services in the electric mobility market.

Scooter-sharing services, that is, short-term rental of electric scooters, have been gaining popularity among last-mile transport solutions in recent years, winning both their supporters and opponents. Recognizing the different approaches of societies to scooters in the world, the objective of this work was to determine the perception of scooter-sharing services in Poland, that is, the fifth largest European market in terms of micromobility. The study was based on survey data conducted using the CAWI method among the points of active users of scooter-sharing systems. The article presents the results regarding the perception of electric scooters in terms of safety, use, operation, education, and elements of communication behavior. The results indicate that the respondents perceive the Polish market of sharing electric scooters well. They believe that riding a scooter is safe (despite pointing out numerous technical faults that may indicate insufficient technical knowledge about what they can mean for users), and they are against mobility hubs and disrupting free systems. Interestingly, respondents emphasize the need to modernize the regulations, the need for penalties for damage to vehicles, and the need to reduce fees. The results provide valuable clues on how to manage the new electric mobility. They also indicate a different approach of Polish users to the issue of perceiving scooters in relation to other European societies (such as France or Denmark), which is a valuable clue for modeling transport behavior.

Car-sharing services are developing at an ever-increasing pace. Taking into account the reduction of carbon dioxide emissions and pursuit of the sustainable development of transport, implementing electric cars in car-sharing fleets is being proposed. On the one hand, these types of vehicles are referred to as emission-free, but on the other hand, their environmental friendliness is questionable due to the emission of carbon dioxide during the production of energy to power them. Although many scientific papers are devoted to the issue of reducing emissions through car sharing, there is a research gap concerning the real production of carbon dioxide by car-sharing vehicles during car-sharing trips. To fill this research gap, the objective of the article was to analyze the actual level of carbon dioxide emissions from combustion and electric vehicles from car-sharing systems produced when renting rides. The test results showed that the electric car turned out to be significantly less emitting. The use of electric vehicles in car-sharing fleets can reduce carbon dioxide emissions from 14% to 65% compared to using cars with internal combustion engines. However, the key role during car-sharing trips is played by the driving style of the drivers, which has been omitted from the literature to date. This should be properly regulated by service providers and focus on the proper use of energy from electric vehicle batteries, especially at low temperatures. The article provides support for operators planning to modernize their fleet of vehicles and fills the research gap concerning car-sharing emissions.

The global spread of the COVID-19 virus has led to difficulties in many branches of the economy, including significant effects on the urban transport industry. Thus, countries around the world have introduced different mobility policies during the pandemic. Due to government restrictions and the changed behaviors of transport users, companies providing modern urban mobility solutions were forced to introduce new business practices to their services. These practices are also apparent in the context of the electric shared mobility industry. Although many aspects and problems of electric shared mobility have been addressed in scientific research, pandemic scenarios have not been taken into account. Noticing this research gap, we aimed to update a previously developed model of factors that influence the operation of electric shared mobility by incorporating aspects related to the COVID-19 pandemic and its impact on this industry. This article aims to identify the main factors influencing the electric shared mobility industry during the COVID-19 and post-lockdown periods, together with their operation areas and the involved stakeholders. The research was carried out on the basis of expert interviews, social network analysis (SNA), and the use of the R environment. The article also presents sustainable transport management recommendations for cities and transport service operators, which can be implemented after a lockdown caused by an epidemic. The results in this paper can be used to support transport modeling and the creation of new policies, business models, and sustainable development recommendations. The contents will also be helpful to researchers worldwide in preparing literature reviews for articles related to sustainable management in the COVID-19 pandemic reality.

Due to the development of the shared economy, increasingly more shared mobility providers have launched services based on the use of electric vehicles. The increasing growth of electric shared mobility services has produced various types of problems that do not occur (or occur with a limited effect) under conventional shared mobility systems. This increase in electric shared mobility problems has led to many effects, including limitations of the system zones or going out of business. To avoid difficulties in the functioning of electric shared mobility systems, various scientific studies have been undertaken to model and optimize the operation of these systems. Modeling and optimization mainly relate to one category of the system—for example, only to bike sharing. However, to understand the system of electric shared mobility holistically, there is a need to define the criteria generally as stimulants or destimulants. Based on these assumptions, we conducted research on the identification of factors influencing the development of electric shared mobility services. We conducted our own expert research based on the Social Network Analysis method. The aim of this study was to determine the factors that influence the development or recession of services in the entire electric shared mobility market in reference to selected stakeholders. The obtained results indicate a non-standard approach to the modeling and optimization of electric shared mobility services. This study could be used as support for creating electric shared mobility models and could also be helpful for service providers or local mobility managers through the developed recommendations.