Carsharing
What is carsharing?
Carsharing is the provision of vehicles to users, generally for a short period of time, thus differentiating itself from the service provided by rental companies, which generally offer vehicles for longer periods. The vehicles may belong to carsharing operators, companies, car manufacturers or local authorities.
Another way in which carsharing differs from traditional rental is that vehicles are made available on a self-service basis and are available 24/7 without the need to hand over the keys. Carsharing is part of the spectrum of new mobility, a movement that has been very popular in recent years, with the aim of reducing the number of vehicles owned by each user. This solution is ideal to meet the needs of reducing energy consumption and CO2 emissions. It is also an excellent way to reduce the number of parked vehicles and therefore free up space on the streets.
3 main carsharing solutions are to be highlighted :
- loop” car-sharing with a return of the vehicle to the point of departure;
- inter-site car-sharing with a return of the vehicle to a station that may be different from the one of departure;
- free-floating” car-sharing, where, unlike the two previous options, vehicles can be picked up at random locations and the same applies to the return of the vehicle.
Some figures on carsharing
According to the Association des Acteurs de l’Autopartage (AAA):
In France and during the year 2021 there were 294,000 users for carsharing solutions. The survey also showed that among these users
- 55% of them were men for 45% of women;
- 75% were urban residents;
- 86% have a university degree;
- 81% are active and have a job;
- 61% are executives.
A second survey showed that a single carsharing car can:
- Free up 1 to 3 parking spaces;
- Travel approximately 13,000 kilometers per year;
- Replace 5 to 8 personal vehicles.
- As for the car-sharing subscriber, he can reduce his gas emissions by 10%.
Need more motivation to join the carsharing movement
In 2019 the government launched its new law of orientation of mobilities. And one of the pillars of this law was to “facilitate and encourage the deployment of new solutions to enable everyone to move”. This is why the government has set up many initiatives to encourage local authorities or private actors to launch new mobilities, including carsharing.
To help local authorities in proposing alternative solutions to the individual car, the State has set up funding and calls for projects. 500M euros have been released to co-finance mobility projects with local authorities. Concerning companies, the government has also launched a sustainable mobility package. This package allows employers to reimburse an amount of 400 euros per year, exempt from social security contributions and taxes, to their employees who choose to commute to work via soft mobility such as car-sharing of electric vehicles or cycling.
In general, car sharing is an excellent way to reduce the number of vehicles and therefore the total cost of ownership. It is also an excellent CSR initiative for companies, a way to give them a greener image and to encourage employees to have a more sustainable and environmentally friendly mobility.
Technology at the heart of carsharing
Apart from the obvious need for vehicles, another element is essential for the proper functioning of car-sharing and in the digital age this other element is a software solution.
In fact, the management of shared vehicles in a connected way is becoming more and more the obvious solution in this field. The number of solutions for the management of shared vehicles is increasing and the installation of “embedded” hardware technology is becoming a must. In this way, it is possible for fleet managers to check the status of their vehicles in real time, optimize their utilization rate and improve the users’ journeys.
Today, drivers can act in total autonomy, via an application on their cell phones, and book vehicles 24 hours a day without being dependent on the operator’s opening hours.
What about glide.io
glide.io is a subsidiary of the Renault group, created in 2015, and dedicated to imagining the mobility of the future.
It designs, develops and provides innovative shared mobility solutions based on technologies embedded in vehicles and its mobility platform.
Since its launch, the company has been able to grow and impose itself on the car-sharing market. It provides its solution to a wide variety of customers, from very small businesses to large CAC 40 groups, including car manufacturers, rental companies and local authorities.
A nimble structure full of new ideas, glide.io easily adapts to the needs of its customers as well as to the evolution of the market and new technologies, while benefiting from the expertise of one of the largest car manufacturers in the world.
What are its solutions?
Since its launch in 2015, glide.io has continued to evolve and the company now offers three distinct types of carsharing solutions.
The historical solution of glide.io consists in the corporate carsharing or B2B carsharing. The solution is aimed at companies wishing to pool their vehicles and avoid the allocation of a vehicle per person. This solution was born from the observation that use takes precedence over possession and that vehicles often spend 95% of their time inactive. With the solution proposed to corporate fleet managers, they get a real-time view of their vehicles, their status (cleanliness or need for repair), on past, present and future reservations. They are therefore constantly aware of which employee is driving which vehicle at a given date (an important point for the management of fines for example). But thanks to this tool, managers get a better view of the utilization rate of each vehicle and can therefore make more informed decisions about adjusting the size of their fleets.
Finally, connected carsharing represents a huge time saving for managers. Indeed, thanks to the glide.io solution, employees benefit from a total autonomy for the reservation and the access to their vehicles. No need to get the keys of the vehicle from the manager, the vehicle is unlocked directly via the application. The application also allows for a feedback of the state of cleanliness before and after each use (as mentioned above) and therefore avoids the manager to perform the checks himself. All these advantages make life easier for fleet managers and their employees.
The second solution proposed by glide.io is more for the general public. Indeed, the application can be used by operators wishing to offer their vehicles for B2C use. Our solution is adapted for operators wishing to offer vehicles to their customers 24/7 and without users having to go through an office for administrative procedures. However, extending the offer to your employees does not mean that you have to work every weekend or leave them to fend for themselves: our 24/7 hotline is available to users for any information or assistance request. Finally, to ensure the smooth running of this solution, our application offers a 100% secure payment platform and an inventory with photos is offered before and after each trip.
The third and last solution of glide.io concerns replacement/ courtesy or demonstration vehicles. Dealerships and garages can also decide to use our carsharing solution to manage their fleet of vehicles. Carsharing their vehicles is an efficient way for dealers to save time in assigning replacement vehicles and to provide their customers with a modern, digital experience that will strengthen their loyalty to the dealership. The same process applies to demo vehicles and allows fleet managers to get a detailed analysis of vehicle usage.
Last but not least, with glide.io, companies, municipalities, operators and manufacturers have the possibility to offer our carsharing solution in white label. Benefit from all the advantages of glide.io but under your name. A way to generate a feeling of belonging in your company or to capitalize on the name of your operator brand by offering a digital, innovative and unique solution.
How does glide.io technology works?
glide.io offers a turnkey carsharing solution for the mobility of your company, your community or your establishment.
Our technology is compatible with all types and brands of vehicles. It consists of a platform that allows the monitoring of your fleet and a 100% digital car-sharing, connected to on-board units, provided by our various partners, experts in telematics.
To give a better perspective of our technology our installation kit consists of the following elements:
- A connected device (CAN data bus) out of reach of the driver;
- A connected GPS antenna, which allows to associate a vehicle with its assigned parking space;
- A key holder in the glove box to store and detect keys;
- Two card holders (to insert bank cards, fuel cards or parking cards);
- A possible card reader placed under the windshield – if you choose to use badges for your customers.
As you can see, our solution is divided into three interfaces:
- A mobile application for the end user. This allows him to make his reservations but also serves as a tool for (un)locking;
- A web app, accessible from a computer for people who want to make their reservations via a larger screen than their smartphones;
- And finally a back-office interface for fleet managers. This will allow them to follow in real time the state of their vehicles, but also to act remotely on them and thus to prohibit for example the use of them during the programming of maintenance, servicing,…
If our technology is what it is today, it is thanks to a team of engineers and developers experienced in their field and on the lookout for the latest technologies on the market that could be integrated into our product.
The team works in agile methodology, which allows us to gain in flexibility, reactivity and to regularly publish new features.
In addition to being highly configurable according to your needs, our solution is also natively interoperable with other third-party IT systems, to facilitate its integration into your IT ecosystem.
You need a specific development that does not exist in our catalog? No problem, our IT team is always ready to take on new challenges!
However, don’t panic, even if our company offers a software solution, we don’t lose sight of the human side. At glide.io, providing you with the best possible experience is a priority. That’s why we offer a personalized follow-up with one of our experts in new mobility, to ensure the proper implementation of our solution within your organization and accompany you in your daily carsharing project.
To conclude
Today, we are able to provide a very flexible system adapted to each individual. But also, to advise our partners on the best configuration of the solution, according to their needs and their customers. That’s why we can guarantee that you won’t find a better car-sharing solution. Because our team has developed the best technological solution and a robust expertise in contact with various and varied customers. With us, you can be sure that your customers will benefit from an outstanding service for their mobility.
