Improving Regional Car Sharing – Lessons from evemo

You have been offering customized mobility solutions for twelve years now. How did evemo come about and what characterizes your business model?

evemo was born out of the desire to redesign mobility and promote sustainable, shared mobility services. The first version of our software platform was developed in 2013 for e-car sharing projects in rural areas. Today, our solution is suitable for anyone who wants to operate sharing services, no matter where and with what vehicles.

Our solution features a modular approach, extensive hardware integration, and the ability to customize. Our cloud-based software solution powers car, bike and scooter sharing, backed by comprehensive services like consulting and support.

We support projects from a wide range of sectors and are proud to partner with associations, cooperatives, companies, municipal utilities, residential districts and more. We place great importance on close collaboration and a partnership-based approach. To this end, we are constantly evolving and actively contribute to the future of mobility through various research projects. Our mission is to support the development of multimodal and networked mobility services on a broad scale.

What are the biggest challenges in regional car sharing, and what are evemo’s solutions?

Regional mobility solutions often struggle with low demand in less densely populated areas and the lack of acceptance of car sharing as an alternative to car ownership. evemo offers demand-based solutions that are easy to use and integrate into everyday mobility. We focus on networked services, intuitive applications and partnership-based cooperation with regional sharing providers. These approaches increase the acceptance and usage of car sharing, promoting more sustainable mobility solutions.

What are critical success factors in a car sharing provider’s tech stack and why?

Automation is a critical success factor for keeping operations costs low and increasing user satisfaction. We prioritize a fully digital rental process that covers everything from registration to vehicle use and billing. Automated solutions, such as online driver’s license verification, app-based vehicle access, and automated payment transactions, ensure smooth operations.

How exactly is evemo’s tech solution structured? To what extent is it tailored to local and regional providers such as municipalities or associations?

evemo has a modular structure and includes an app, a web-based booking application for users, and a management tool for operators. While all sharing services share similar requirements, there are regional differences. Our modular solution addresses these variations by allowing customizations to fit regional conditions. The core concept is that different stakeholders such as operators, vehicle providers, station sponsors and customer service have access to a standardized system tailored to their needs. Different usage scenarios, including station-based or free-floating models, bike sharing or car sharing, and exclusive or public offerings, can be mapped and managed within a single system.

You are consciously focusing on electric vehicles. However, the expansion of the necessary infrastructure is still lagging. What strategies have you developed to overcome the challenges of e-mobility?

From our perspective, e-mobility has become more than just a trend in the car sharing sector. Electric vehicles have been a core part of many fleets for years. Station-based services with fixed charging points have proven to be effective. Here, car sharing can make an important contribution to further promote e-mobility and increase acceptance. evemo is well-prepared for the unique demands of electric vehicles, and supports automatic charging buffers, the management of charging cards and many other functions that make the operation of electric vehicles user-friendly.

Car sharing is booming, and not just in large cities. How has user behavior changed in recent years? What trends do you see among your customers?

User behavior in car sharing has changed significantly in recent years. We have observed that sharing services are increasingly seen from a regional perspective. Instead of isolated small-scale services, regional mobility solutions are emerging and bringing together different services into a cohesive system. In some cases, this trend is already creating powerful networks with public transport.

What needs to happen for shared mobility to become even more established as a flexible supplement to public transport, especially regionally?

For us, topics such as multimodality, Mobility as a Service (MaaS), and interconnectivity are very important. Close integration of research and practice is also crucial. Research projects allow us to develop innovative concepts together with university partners. For example, in our OMI (Open Mobility Infrastructure) research project, we are working with research partners to help municipalities create more reliable, sustainable and user-friendly mobility solutions. Networking with regional public transport is also an important part of this.

Thank you, Felix, for the interview and valuable insights on regional car sharing!

If you like to gather more information on trends in the shared mobility industry, check out our reports and webinars.