Mobility Future: What to Expect
The year 2022 was a pivotal year in which it became evident that the future of personal mobility is green. It saw the sales of electric vehicles jump from 3.2 million which it used to be in 2020 to more than 10 million electric vehicles.
Apart from electric cars, the demand and adoption of e-bikes and e-scooters are also on the rise. Conversely, experts project that in the future, electric trains will also enjoy the same level of adoption considering that they’re even more energy-efficient than electric cars.
As transportation and personal mobility continue to walk towards the path of sustainability, this article seeks to look into the future of personal mobility, the advancements in mobility technology, the impacts of public policies, and other related factors.
Impacts of Climate Change Policies
In the bid to combat the effects of climate change, governments around the world have enacted policies to spur people to buy into the use of electric vehicles and other products that use renewable energy. They created incentives such as purchase subsidies and other fiscal incentives that reduce the cost of production.
The policies went live in the United States in 2008; China followed suit in 2014, while Norway already had theirs implemented since the 1990s. Some states (like California) have also set EV adoption targets, and are putting up stringent measures to ensure timely compliance within their region.
In some places, governments have also invested in the building of publicly accessible charging stations, while also providing incentives for individuals to build these charging docks around their apartments.
Role of Electrification in Mobility Future
In mobility technology, the term electrification refers to the process of replacing fossil fuels with electricity, which is aimed at reducing emissions. Currently, the wide use of fossil fuel-powered automobiles accounts more around 1/3 of CO2 emissions globally. In the United States, passenger vehicles and other light-duty cars account for most of these emissions.
The recent increase in electrification is the only way to reduce this emission. However, this new mobility solution is only practical if the electric power comes from renewable energy sources such as solar, hydropower, and wind. Currently, hydropower accounts for 45% of electricity produced in Norway, and in like manner, the United States, China, and Brazil are also making giant strides in electrifying their nations using renewable energy sources.
Experts believe that the use of renewable energy will increase and span across the world in the near future. This, alongside the surging sales of personal mobility vehicles like electric scooters, will result in lower net emissions.
Autonomous Driving Will Become Commonplace
Electric car manufacturers and makers of other personal mobility devices are investing massively in autonomous driving. Thanks to AI-powered features like computer vision, advanced driver-assistance systems, and light detection functionalities, these mobility innovators can build vehicles that can self-operate while making logical decisions that used to only be possible for human drivers.
With increasing advancements in artificial intelligence, deep learning, big data, and analytics, autonomous driving will likely become a common trend among future personal transportation vehicles.
Connectivity Will Shape Mobility Future
Just like electrification, widespread and improved connectivity is one of the future transportation ideas that’d play a massive role. Although we are largely still at the nascent stage, mobility studies have birthed vehicle connectivity solutions that allow for different levels of network connectivity, including:
- Vehicle-to-vehicle connectivity
- Vehicle-to-network connection
- Vehicle-to-infrastructure connection
These AI-powered mobility technologies can collect and process relevant data that alerts drivers on the traffic and security situations, current road conditions, and other information necessary for their safety and convenience.
Apart from cars, some innovative electric personal transportation vehicles such as the Äike T are fully connected with IoT, which provides riders with detailed information on a dedicated screen and mobile app.
Connected by Comodule, a leader in IoT solutions for LEV manufacturers and service providers
Shared Mobility
According to an article from McKinsey, Shared mobility will go viral when the use of autonomous driving cars becomes a regular practice. Currently, most of the available shared mobility operates on a driver-based model and results in congestion due to the drivers’ inability to predict the traffic conditions. Driverless cars will have a better prediction of traffic situations and make use of the best routes. The increased popularity of these cars will reduce traffic congestion and encourage more people to ditch their cars and use the more efficient shared mobility system.
Infrastructure for Charging and Fuelling Vehicles
Accessibility of charging stations is one of the challenges that must be handled for mobility’s future to be bright. Despite the increase in the purchase of electric vehicles, many users face this problem, and it discourages more people from making the transition from combustible engines to green energy vehicles.
Governments and corporate entities have begun making giant strides to tackle this challenge. For instance, in the United States, the Bipartisan Infrastructure Law has designated $7.5 billion to facilitate the construction of half a million charging stations across the country.
Personal Mobility in Urban Areas
Electric scooters and electric bikes are already defining the future of mobility in urban areas. They serve as an easy-to-use personal transportation vehicle powered by rechargeable batteries. They have also proven to be a cheaper way for everyone to start practicing emission-free transportation.
Electric scooters and bikes have a special place in the future of mobility, not only because they emit zero greenhouse gases, but because of the numerous other benefits attached to them. More so, the rising trend of shared scooter fleets means that you don’t have to buy one. You can rent it whenever necessary, and enjoy its benefits.
Conclusion
Personal mobility has come a long way from the first ancient cars developed in the 1880s to the nascent stage of self-driving electric cars that has become the focus of mobility technology in the 2000s. As the world works towards reducing emissions and conserving the environment, governments are creating incentives to hasten the adoption of electric vehicles powered by renewable energy. We still have a long way to go, but right now, the global mobility of the future looks greener than ever.
While waiting for this future to come, you can start your journey towards emission-less transportation by buying Äike Scooters. The Äike T, for example, is a highly connected electric scooter with IoT, GPS tracking, and a theft-protection technology. It is powered by a removable 583.2Wh battery, and hence doesn’t use any fossil fuel. The Äike T also has a ride optimization feature and comes with a USB-C charging outlet that makes charging convenient for you at any place or time.
