Europe is strongly committed to developing and promoting sustainable mobility. The EU objectives in terms of eMobility include incentives for the use of alternative fuels (LPG, methane, and biofuels) and the development of new fueling stations and charging points for electric vehicles. In this respect, the virtual interview below, which you can read together with the others in this issue of Energy Journal, has Frank Rieck, Professor of Future Mobility at the University of Rotterdam, as the protagonist.
Frank Rieck, Professor of Future Mobility at the University of Rotterdam, is currently responsible for the research & innovation regarding Future Mobility. He is also Chairman of Dutch-INCERT, a national network of knowledge centers regarding eMobility and is representing the Netherlands as vice president of the EU organization AVERE, the European Association for Electromobility.
Aside from the impact on air pollution and CO2 emissions, sustainable and electric mobility are bound to play a crucial role, in broader terms, in the lives of million Europeans. What do you consider as the primary benefits for European citizens regarding green mobility?
The European objectives in terms of sustainable mobility can certainly contribute, in broader terms, to a more sustainable ecology and a new economy for the whole system, in which investments for mobility will be more efficient in terms of time and money for the entire community. It’s evident to everyone that we are facing new challenges. We know that the use of traditional means of transport have a huge impact on climate change and, indeed, we may wonder whether cars are still necessary. Nonetheless, global auto mobility continues to grow, and global road transport (motorcycles, cars, trucks and buses) could double, reaching 80 trillion kilometers by 2050.
Source: Will Automotive Be the Future of Mobility? Striving for Six Zeros (https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/11/1/10/html)
In order to achieve the EU ambitious goal in terms of sustainable mobility, it is important to improve the technology utilized in the mobility sector. In this respect, what are some of the most important digital innovations?
Today, the automotive market is still growing, but its future depends on its ability to adapt to the needs of modern society. Our vehicles may evolve from family cars into micro-cars or larger multi-person vehicles. Thanks to modern technology, we are not just more aware of these developments, but we are starting to see them as feasible in the short term. The first signs of these transformations are already visible in our cities and urban areas.
Source: Will Automotive Be the Future of Mobility? Striving for Six Zeros (https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/11/1/10/html)
Speaking of technology innovation, what are some of the most cutting-edge developments that could bring relevant transformations in the mobility sector?
In my recent research Will Automotive Be the Future of Mobility? Striving for Six Zeros, I underlined how disruptive technology such as electrification, automation and connectivity can make mobility more sustainable by pursuing six so-called ‘zero objectives’: zero emissions, zero energy, zero congestion, zero accidents, zero empty and zero costs. Now, it is the perfect time to drive this change for the better by concentrating on the ‘six zeroes’. In this paradigm shift, we still expect the car to be the main vehicle for mobility in the future. The type of car we want to rely on, however, is the question we need to answer as a community in order to decide whether the future will be green and sustainable or not.
Source: Will Automotive Be the Future of Mobility? Striving for Six Zeros (https://www.mdpi.com/2032-6653/11/1/10/html)
