Environmental benefits and supply dynamics of electric vehicles sharing: From a systematic perspective of transportation structure and trip purposes

Abstract

This study elucidates the environmental benefits and the supply dynamics of electric vehicle sharing (EVS) across various trip modes and purposes. A comprehensive survey involving 1,784 participants is carried out to gauge travelers’ latent preferences to EVS. An integrated model of the structural equation modeling (SEM) and the partial proportional odds model (PPOM) is developed to identify the interactive relationships between EVS and other trip modes. A before-and-after analysis is conducted to unveil the environmental benefits of EVS across different trip modes and purposes, based on the Theory of Planned Behavior (TPB) and the Technology Acceptance Model (TAM). In particular, marginal effect analysis is performed to assess the environmental benefits and supply dynamics as EVS adoption levels vary. The findings highlight a remarkable reduction in energy consumption and CO2 emissions in Beijing due to EVS operations, amounting to reductions of 168,000 kgce and 406,000 kgCO2, respectively. This study provides policymakers with insights into EVS’s environmental potentials and optimization recommendations.