Lynk & Co is attempting to trigger a consumer mindset change by offering shareable cars, thereby turning mobility into a flexible service option.

Most new vehicles bought by private individuals sit idle for 96% of the time. Making cars more efficient isn’t enough, we must also change how we use them. As an industry, the focus should shift from tailpipe emissions towards production and use-phase-related emissions. Shifts in materials and production, as well as behaviour, mindsets, and business models are needed to enable genuinely sustainable mobility.

Lynk & Co is attempting to trigger a consumer mindset change by offering shareable cars, thereby turning mobility into a flexible service option. The company’s subscription offer and car-sharing platform offers a more sustainable alternative to traditional car ownership. Their business model fosters community by allowing customers to share cars and, as a result, fewer resources are consumed.  What’s more, individual car ownership decreases and use of urban space improves. In 2022, Lynk & Co delivered 28,500 cars —a strong increase from 2021 when 7,500 cars were delivered with almost 1,000 borrowers and lenders using the car-sharing platform. 

The company also focuses on encouraging sustainable car use, creating mobility inclusion, circulating materials and developing sustainable and electric cars. Their aim is to launch the first fully electric car in 2024 and completely transition to fully electric cars by 2030.

It is hard to measure Lynk & Co’s impact up front. However, the 01 car received five stars from the European New Car Assessment Program (EuroNCAP). The assessment is known to put vehicles through rigorous tests in order to measure reliability and quality. The 01 is also the world’s first car to feature seats with ECONYL® material, a regenerated nylon made of recycled fishing nets and other waste materials. Additionally, all offices and sales showrooms use 100% renewable energy. The company claims that out of the nearly 28,500 cars delivered, 98% were plug-in hybrids. In fact, Lynk & Co measured the average weighted CO2 tailpipe emissions of their delivered cars. They found that the average emissions were 44.22 grams per kilometre as opposed to the 107.5 grams from new passenger cars registered in the European Union (EU) in 2020. 

According to STARS project, an EU-funded programme, as far as the EU is concerned, car sharing initiatives have been on an upswing over the last decade with more organisations jumping on the bandwagon. However, the project recommends that a uniform EU-wide legal framework on car sharing is very much needed, along with investments in public transport infrastructure and cycling and walking infrastructure.

Because car sharing has implications on other policy arenas, such as mobility, social cohesion, new housing developments and public space, among others, it should be integrated with these different policy areas. This integration could help avoid conflicting legislation. For example, any changes in fiscal policies can trigger either a positive or a negative impact on car sharing as a mobility solution. 

The STARS survey also highlighted parking problems as one of the biggest hindrances for car sharing and is therefore important to consider in policy. A well thought out parking policy that tends to the differentiated car sharing models is very much required to develop car sharing as a mobility solution. For car sharing companies, such as Lynk & Co, these policy interventions can be crucial for scalability and impact.

Photo by Paul Hanaoka on Unsplash.