This work describes the design of an agent-based model for shared autonomous vehicle (SAV) operations, the results of many case-study applications using this model, and the estimated environmental benefits of such settings, versus conventional vehicle ownership and use. Preliminary results indicate that each SAV can replace around eleven conventional vehicles, but adds up to 10% more travel distance than comparable non-SAV trips, resulting in overall beneficial emissions impacts, once fleet-efficiency changes and embodied versus in-use emissions are assessed.

Key findings

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Case-study results indicate that a system of SAVs may well save members ten times the number of cars they would need for self-owned personal-vehicle travel, but would incur about 11% more travel (to reach the “next in line” traveler).

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Overall emissions savings are expected to be sizable, for most species.

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Quicker vehicle fleet turnover may generate even more benefits, as older and more polluting vehicles are replaced with newer, cleaner ones.

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