Car sharing, however, offers a new and seductive form of freedom, one based on the refusal of direct ownership and the liability that entails. The key to the Zip-Flex business model is that the actual car is not all that important. It is really just a means to an end. It's a transportation appliance, a node in a system made possible by the Internet.
The entire process is simple. Once an approved licensed driver pays his dues and becomes a member, he logs in to the company's website to select where he wants to pick up a car and how long he wants to use it. The membership card is a magnetic key that unlocks the doors; the keys are in the glove compartment. Regular users pay about $10 an hour on average, which covers gas, maintenance and insurance and can be automatically charged to a credit card.
When I lived in D.C., I used Zipcar, and I loved it. I know that Beijing is too spread out for the model to work, but maybe in some other Chinese cities?
Note: I have asked this question to quite a few China residents (Chinese and expat), and not one of them believes that car sharing would work here. That's a shame.