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Can Electric Vehicle Carsharing Bridge the Green Divide? A Study of BlueLA’s Environmental Impacts among Underserved Communities and the Broader Population

Author

Listed:
  • Ziad Yassine

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California, 109 McLaughlin Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

  • Elliot W. Martin

    (Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, 2150 Allston Way, Berkeley, CA 94704, USA)

  • Susan A. Shaheen

    (Civil and Environmental Engineering and Transportation Sustainability Research Center, University of California, 408 McLaughlin Hall, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA)

Abstract

This study aims to evaluate the potential of electric vehicle (EV) carsharing services to address social and environmental disparities in urban transportation through an evaluation of BlueLA, a one-way station-based carsharing service in Los Angeles, California. BlueLA provides a clean and affordable mobility option in underserved communities that face significant air quality burdens and have historically been excluded from environmental benefits. By incorporating BlueLA trip activity data from January 2021 to December 2022 ( n = 59,112 trips) and an online user survey implemented in early December 2022 ( n = 215 responses), we estimate the impacts of BlueLA on personal vehicle ownership patterns, vehicle miles traveled (VMT), and associated greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. The results show an overall net reduction in VMT and GHG emissions of 463,845 miles and 656 metric tons, respectively, among the BlueLA user population (3074 registered users). When disaggregating impacts by BlueLA member type, our findings show a net reduction of 234 and 371 metric tons in GHG emissions for Standard (general population) and Community (low-income qualified) members, respectively. Additionally, our socio-demographic analysis highlights clear disparities between these two member groups, with Community members typically having lower incomes (i.e., 74% earning below USD 50,000 annually); lower educational attainment (i.e., 46% with at most an associate’s degree); and larger households (i.e., 23% living in households of four or more) compared to Standard members (i.e., 19% earning below USD 50,000, 24% with at most an associate’s degree, and 9% in households of four or more). Moreover, when comparing the VMT and associated GHG emissions due to BlueLA, we find that the presence of BlueLA reduces VMT and GHG emissions by 34% and 48% respectively, and each BlueLA vehicle replaces 16 personally owned vehicles (shed and postponed purchases). Last, when comparing the emissions produced by the electric fleet of BlueLA to those of a comparable fleet of internal combustion engine vehicles, we find that the use of an EV fleet reduces GHG emissions by 43% in comparison. The BlueLA carsharing service has led to notable net reductions in VMT and thus GHG emissions, with a major share of these reductions observed among Community members.

Suggested Citation

  • Ziad Yassine & Elliot W. Martin & Susan A. Shaheen, 2024. "Can Electric Vehicle Carsharing Bridge the Green Divide? A Study of BlueLA’s Environmental Impacts among Underserved Communities and the Broader Population," Energies, MDPI, vol. 17(2), pages 1-18, January.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jeners:v:17:y:2024:i:2:p:356-:d:1316685
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Shaheen, Susan & Martin, Elliot & Totte, Hannah, 2020. "Zero-emission vehicle exposure within U.S. carsharing fleets and impacts on sentiment toward electric-drive vehicles," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt95j7g71k, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    2. Shaheen, Susan & Martin, Elliot & Totte, Hannah, 2020. "Zero-emission vehicle exposure within U.S. carsharing fleets and impacts on sentiment toward electric-drive vehicles," Transport Policy, Elsevier, vol. 85(C), pages 23-32.
    3. Susan Shaheen & Elliot Martin & Mikaela Hoffman-Stapleton, 2021. "Shared mobility and urban form impacts: a case study of peer-to-peer (P2P) carsharing in the US," Journal of Urban Design, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 26(2), pages 141-158, March.
    4. Shaheen, Susan PhD & Cohen, Adam & Randolph, Michael & Farrar, Emily & Davis, Richard & Nichols, Aqshems, 2019. "Shared Mobility Policy Playbook," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt9678b4xs, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
    5. Martin, Elliot PhD & Stocker, Adam & Nichols, Aqshems & Shaheen, Susan PhD, 2021. "Roundtrip Carsharing in New York City: An Evaluation of a Pilot Program and System Impacts," Institute of Transportation Studies, Research Reports, Working Papers, Proceedings qt5kb1r71v, Institute of Transportation Studies, UC Berkeley.
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