Report

Teaser, summary, work performed and final results

Periodic Reporting for period 1 - iShare (iShare - a disruptive approach to vehicle sharing)

Teaser

The sharing economy is booming, also in response to the negative trend of the global economy in the past few years. The iShare project is strictly connected to the sharing economy in a mobility context. It aims at developing a disruptive approach for vehicle sharing, and is...

Summary

The sharing economy is booming, also in response to the negative trend of the global economy in the past few years. The iShare project is strictly connected to the sharing economy in a mobility context. It aims at developing a disruptive approach for vehicle sharing, and is enabled by an innovative product, i.e., a smart keyholder box that is capable to store the car key and push the car key buttons to open and close the car’s doors by using robotic fingers. This product is coupled with a web and a mobile app platform to manage user authentication, security, booking, payment, community management, and all the administrative processes that are related to the car’s check-in and check-out.
iShare is a unique solution to private vehicle sharing, as i) it allows remote sharing of the key, i.e., with no need for owner and driver to meet in person, ii) it can be used with any car model, and iii) it does not require any expensive professional work for installation. Benefits are expected to fall on both car owners and car drivers.
Moreover, the use of the solution proposed by iShare will increase the average car occupancy rate, while, on the contrary, second-cars are expected to reduce drastically. This will result in i) a reduced air pollution and traffic in cities, ii) a reduced demand for parking spaces, and iii) a reduced city carbon footprint.

Work performed

i) Optimization of the final prototype
A novel prototype has been developed based on a technical and economic analysis. It is characterized by a reduced dimension and cost if compared to the initial prototype.

ii) Business plan
Taking the preliminary business plan that was available as a starting point, a revised and more comprehensive business plan has been developed.

Final results

Currently, all companies providing peer-to-peer car-sharing solutions in Europe and North America can be classified in two main categories: i) manual key sharing solutions, relying on the physical meeting between the two users to handover the vehicle keys, and ii) electronics box car opener, which needs to be installed on the vehicle to communicate with the car’s electronic control unit.
iShare will allow to overcome the current limitations of both approaches, by offering:
i) Instant bookings, without meeting the other user or installing electronics devices on board
ii) A universal solution, the only one to fit every car model, even keyless cars
iii) No installation requirements (self-installation possible)
iv) A safe solution, tamper resistant and embedded with anti-theft method
v) A solution with characteristics that match the needs of both large cities and decentralized communities

Website & more info

More info: http://www.yshare.it/.