Estimation of optimum supply of shared cars based on personal travel behaviors in condition of minimum energy consumption

This study developed a method to determine the optimum supply of shared cars according to personal travel behaviors in the condition of minimum energy consumption. We applied the method in Southern Higher Education Zone (SHEZ) of Ningbo based on the survey data of personal travel behaviors in the region. Solutions in the case of minimum energy consumption encourage more shared-car trips, less private-car trips, and mass-transit trips. Total of 111 kJ of energy could be saved by each student from the actual case to minimum energy case. In SHEZ, 76 shared cars are recommended to provide an optimal supply of shared cars compared to 87 shared cars in reality. According to the findings, two policy implications are put forward from the aspects of supply and demand. First, to make an efficient supply, companies should focus on the distribution of shared cars according to the temporal and spatial distribution of usage, rather than only number of vehicles. Meanwhile, it is important to increase the usage of shared cars through policies, such as campaigns that raise residents’ awareness of car sharing as a green, flexible, and all-distance travel option for both workdays and holidays, and countermeasures that promote the usage of shared cars by key groups such as non-car owners. This study not only provides a method to estimate the optimum supply from viewpoint of minimum energy consumption, but also provide policy implications to guide the behaviors of both companies and users to improve the efficient usage of shared cars in Ningbo real case.