Climate change is more than just a trend. People are searching for ways to make real real changes. Since electric cars are an environmentally friendly alternative to classic car sharing in Berlin many Berliners are making the switch. Carsharing is the shared use of a vehicle on the basis of a framework contract. Not only private individuals, but also more and more companies recognize the advantages of car sharing. Companies in big cities like Berlin, Cologne and Hamburg are buying fewer and fewer of their own vehicles. Instead, companies share their vehicles together with other businesses.
The big advantage of car sharing is the efficient use of the vehicle by several drivers, who in turn share the costs. Car sharing has now established itself in many ways in Berlin: Due to the very good connections by public transport, fewer and fewer people need their own car. In addition it’s saving money, because the cost of buying a car is no longer existent. For the sake of the environment, many people are already opting for electromobility. Thanks to electric cars, there is an even more eco-friendly alternative to car sharing. This is particularly interesting for companies. Car sharing of electric cars scores in two respects: on the one hand, CO2 emissions are significantly reduced with the help of electric vehicles. This protects the environment and actively supports climate protection. On the other hand, electric cars offer great potential in terms of corporate benefits and in the area of the electric mobility budget.
E-mobility is now also finding its way into car sharing in Berlin
Electromobility is becoming more and more important not only in the private environment. Many companies already rely on e-mobility and provide their employees with electric scooters or electric bicycles for the daily commute to work and home. But the trend towards electromobility continues: As an alternative to gasoline-powered vehicles, more and more companies are already sharing electric cars in order to protect the environment on the one hand and reduce their own costs on the other. With this new alternative to car sharing in Berlin, Hamburg and other German cities, the companies and their employees have another decisive advantage: Both employers and employees benefit from the mobility budget options that companies can use to help their employees with their jobs and to enable private trips without a company-owned car.
What is included in the mobility budget?
The primary goal of the mobility budget is to provide individual mobility services that an employer can offer his employees as an alternative to his own company car. Depending on the individual mobility needs of the employees, the employer can offer individual alternatives to the company car as well as a mix of different mobility solutions. In addition to car sharing options, bicycle rental systems, chauffeur services and, since last year, e-scooter rental systems are also possible components of the mobility budget. In order to ensure that employees come from the front door to the workplace and back again, companies have various mobility services at their disposal that they can optionally offer to their employees, for example in the form of corporate benefits, i.e. employee offers.
With a new alternative to car sharing in Berlin for more sustainability
Whether as an e-bike, e-scooter or with the help of e-cars - more and more companies are concerned with environmental protection. With electrically powered means of transportation, they actively support climate protection and thus make their decision more sustainable. In 2019, 2.46 million private and corporate users will already use the eco-friendly way of getting around via car sharing. By providing more and more e-charging stations and increasing awareness of doing something good for the environment, car sharing of electric cars has become a real alternative for company vehicles.
While there weren't even 7,000 charging stations for electric vehicles in Germany at the beginning of 2018, there were almost 18,000 at the beginning of 2020. Last year alone, more than 300,000 new electric cars were registered. In the best case, the buyer of a new electric car will be greeted by a huge environmental bonus of up to several thousand euros. Numerous car manufacturers are currently taking advantage of the increased interest in electric cars and are producing electric cars on the conveyor belt. From Audi to Mercedes, Porsche and BMW - well-known manufacturers have recently launched various models that all have one thing in common: They run on electricity.
Electric carpool as an alternative to car sharing?
Whether it makes more sense to set up your own electric carpool or to share electric cars with other companies via car sharing depends on various factors. Both the number of employees who need a vehicle and the frequency of personal needs play a decisive role. In addition, the amount of the available mobility budget influences whether an own electric carpool makes sense for a company or not. However, the switch from gasoline-powered company cars or car sharing vehicles to electric ones is certainly sensible. And even hybrid vehicles are noticeably relieving the environment thanks to lower CO2 emissions. However, since the limit of permitted emissions will continue to be reduced in the coming years and decades and possibly end in a zero emissions obligation for manufacturers, it is advisable to switch completely to electric mobility for companies when buying the next company vehicle.
