Driving A Shared, Electric, Autonomous Mobility Future

The report analyzes the transition toward electric vehicles (EVs), shared mobility, and autonomous vehicles (AVs) in China, India, and the United States. It argues that while battery costs will likely lead to price parity with combustion vehicles within 5–10 years, coordinated policies—such as China's mix of rewards and punishments or India's focus on high-utilization vehicles—are necessary to accelerate adoption. The authors emphasize that shared mobility and AVs must be electrified and pooled to avoid increasing congestion and pollution, and suggest that China and India may leapfrog the US model of private car ownership due to rapid urbanization.

• Electric vehicles are expected to reach price parity with internal combustion engine vehicles in China, India, and the United States within the next 5 to 10 years due to declining battery costs, though supportive policies remain necessary to overcome existing fueling infrastructure and behavioral biases.
• Different policy approaches have shown varying effectiveness: China has succeeded with a coordinated system of rewards and punishments for automakers and consumers, while India has maximized the impact of public funds by subsidizing high-utilization vehicles to increase electric vehicle miles.
• Shared mobility services, including ride-hailing, can reduce congestion if they are pooled and integrated with public transit; China and India are particularly positioned to bypass the American model of widespread car ownership because of their less entrenched car culture and rapid urbanization.
• While autonomous vehicle (AV) technology offers disruptive potential, it could lead to increased pollution and congestion unless rides are mandated to be pooled and electrified. The report suggests that national testing guidelines and liability standards are needed to build market confidence.

APA

RMI (2019). Driving A Shared, Electric, Autonomous Mobility Future. https://rmi.org/resources/driving-a-shared-electric-autonomous-mobility-future/

Chicago

RMI. Driving A Shared, Electric, Autonomous Mobility Future. 2019. https://rmi.org/resources/driving-a-shared-electric-autonomous-mobility-future/.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=RMI |title=Driving A Shared, Electric, Autonomous Mobility Future |date=7 July 2019 |url=https://rmi.org/resources/driving-a-shared-electric-autonomous-mobility-future/ |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{rmi2019driving, author = {{RMI}}, title = {{Driving A Shared, Electric, Autonomous Mobility Future}}, institution = {RMI}, year = {2019}, month = jul, url = {https://rmi.org/resources/driving-a-shared-electric-autonomous-mobility-future/}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }