The idea of car sharing is a terrific but I dont think the implementation is there yet.
Given where most American's live, we have made cars essential to us. They are a tool. Personal transportation and goods transportation.
If you look at your toolbox, you probably have a large set of tools because different tasks require different tools. Sure you can try to hammer a nail with a screwdriver or a wrench but neither will work as well as a hammer. And you will never be able to screw in a drywall screw with a hammer.
But look at cars and the number of different tasks we try to do with a single vehicle:
- Drive yourself to work.
- Drive your family on vacation.
- Carry groceries.
- Carry furniture.
For the daily commute, a small even tiny vehicle is ideal but that vehicle wont carry the whole family and it certainly wont move any furniture around. So we tend to purchase vehicles that are much larger than our normal needs because there is not an easy alternative. (I will leave aside the psychological needs of "power" and "luxury".) Many households purchase several vehicles and leave them sitting around for the time they are needed.
On the other hand, my experience with U-Haul and the Home Depot pickups has been unsatisfactory. It takes a lot of time, the service is poor, the vehicles are crap, and it feels expensive (although a real comparison may show it is actually much cheaper). I definitely see the appeal of having a spare vehicle around for a special use.
But I can envision a world where we all have vehicles just large enough for our basic needs and there is an easy way to rent nice vehicles that suit our unusual needs - like a vacation or moving.
I dont know if car sharing companies are working on that but Im hopeful we will eventually get there.
Car Sharing Gains Traction
Higher Fuel Costs, Congestion Make People
Reevaluate Their Needs; But Hurdles Remain
August 18, 2008
Wall Street Journal
A combination of high energy costs, urban congestion and changes in the way people feel about cars is increasing interest in the idea that a car can be something you borrow and give back, not a cherished possession.
The concept of car sharing -- buying the right to use a car instead of the car itself -- has been kicking around for decades. It's an idea that many Americans can relate to at this time of year, when summer vacations can land you in a city where you need a car or a van for just a few hours and renting seems like a hassle.
...
Sanjay Rishi, leader of IBM Corp.'s global auto industry consulting practice, says interest in car sharing reflects a dwindling passion for automobiles in some parts of the world, such as Europe. That, plus rising fuel prices, means fewer consumers will want to spend money on big vehicles that serve what he calls "the maximum need."
Selling consumers more vehicle than they need has been the mainstream auto industry's business model for most of the past century. The wreckage created in Detroit by the bust of the bubble market in large sport-utility vehicles is just the latest example of how dependent auto makers are on the strategy. Mr. Rishi predicts that going forward, more consumers will be content with a car that serves their "median need," and will look to get occasional use of larger or more luxurious cars through car sharing.
