Environmental awareness, sustainability, e-mobility: keywords that are representative of the future viability of a world that accepts the challenge of safeguarding the livelihoods of its citizens and companies alike. And although modern energy supply and mobility are closely linked, contemporary mobility is more than just switching from a combustion engine to an e-vehicle. What will it take for mobility of the future to succeed?
Switching to an e-vehicle - is it worth it?
Environmental protection and cost arguments are good, but they are not enough to persuade citizens to switch to e-vehicles. The purchase of e-cars and hybrids is extensively subsidized by the state, but real incentives look different. The advantages of e-mobility must outweigh or at least be on a par with combustion engines in terms of comfort, cost and accessibility. In addition to the comparatively high purchase price, there is still room for improvement in terms of battery range. After a few hundred kilometers at the latest, the new e-car must dock at the charging station and fill up with e-juice - provided that an e-charging station of a suitable type is available in good time. It is the task of the municipalities to meet the requirements and make the switch palatable for citizens and companies alike. They must provide the reliable infrastructure.
Shaping mobility change: What measures are municipalities tackling?
Unfortunately, the network of charging stations in Germany is neither optimal nor developed as a uniform system. While more than 10,000 inhabitants share a charging station in the fifty largest cities, the potential number of users in other European metropolises is only in triple digits. The Ministry of Economics provides millions in subsidies for municipal charging infrastructure, which need to be tapped, especially in rural regions. So why is the transformation making only slow progress? Because the future of mobility is only as good as the mobility concepts used to achieve it. Basically, municipalities are working on various levers to achieve this: Efforts are being made to optimize the attractiveness of local public transportation in terms of both quantity and quality, and to make (e-)buses and trains an affordable alternative. Self-driving vehicles are to benefit from comprehensive charging stations and parking facilities for e-cars and e-delivery vehicles, according to the ambitious goal. In addition, cities are investing in charging stations plus fleets of reliably available rental vehicles such as e-cars, e-scooters, e-bikes or pedelecs, supplemented by commercial offerings of e-loan vehicles and car sharing. And to be somehow prepared for the increasing number of e-mobiles, one or the other bicycle lane is being built.
Urban planning and mobility: Bringing experts on board
It is not uncommon for the mobility commitment of German cities and municipalities to present itself as a patchwork of good intentions. Innovative ideas that are more successful, on the other hand, have one thing in common: every mobility solution is well thought out. This means that no mobility solution stands alone, but only develops meaningful effects in the context of living space! E-mobility, general infrastructure, transportation and public local, long-distance and freight traffic - they are all part of successful mobility of the future. Many cities have already recognized that they do not have to go down the road to change alone - and are bringing experts on board. Such mobility solution service providers start by analyzing the current situation: Where do we stand as a municipality, where do we want to go - and how can this be done quickly and cost-effectively? These consultants have a background in automotive, technology, research and development - and operate at the interfaces with mobility service providers, infrastructure operators and public institutions. That's how you bring all stakeholders and interested parties to the table right from the start - ready to build networks. Only those who see the big picture can realistically assess the economic costs of extensive mobility projects.
Infrastructure change: First analyze, then invest!
Change must also pay off! New mobility concepts and traffic changes in existing systems are complex and have a variety of effects on the mobility offer of a municipality. Therefore, goals must be precisely defined and the relationships of cause and effect must be clear as early as the planning phase. Mobility Solution experts actively accompany such infrastructure changes and subject the implementation to continuous critical review: What is already working well? And where is there still a problem, what needs to be adapted? For this purpose, structural analyses take a look at the structure of municipalities and regions, formulate structural forecasts in the context of demographic scenario building, conduct utility value analyses, and much more. Local transportation concepts are also put to the test: How good is the quality of service and transportation? What mobility needs exist, what is demanded in terms of transportation and where? And instead of immediately putting changes into practice, modern mobility planning relies on the simulation of promising scenarios before public budget funds flow.
Virtual City: Simulation from traffic jams to construction sites
The priority is to ensure that one mobility service meshes smoothly with the other and that they complement each other: The better the area-wide mobility works, the more fail-safe the service as a whole will be! All of this can be simulated in advance - such as the setting up of temporary construction sites - on the model of a virtual city - with the integration of data from map material, etc. Every traffic project can be expensive, but it doesn't have to be: Simulation in advance also helps to quantify costs and implementation periods.
Mobility concepts must be networked, intelligent and realistic
In Germany, more than 40 million motor vehicles are currently on the road in private transport, and the number is rising - giving us the third-highest density of passenger cars in the world. It's obvious: Without mobility, there can be no humming economic engine! Digitalization, the share economy, electromobility, and autonomous and connected driving have long been part of this. In the course of this, Smart Mobility helps cities and municipalities intelligently manage the growing traffic flows. Instead of fishing in the dark and designing mobility offers according to the trial & error principle: Innovative mobility concepts must be close to reality if citizens are to accept them. In many places, e-scooters can be regarded as such a flop - placed with hope, but hardly in demand because they do not meet needs sufficiently. This shows that a comparatively economical project is not necessarily the best, but rather the one with an attractive cost-benefit ratio.
Transport policy must rethink: assistance systems, GIS data, autonomous driving
Public planning processes involve citizens - via surveys, workshops and citizens' workshops. Here, too, special tools for 3D visualization can be used in a targeted manner: This is possible in terms of traffic - and this is what it could look like! In this way, projects of urban and infrastructure planning as well as traffic and logistics planning take their first contours. Mobility and digitalization always belong together: More than one in five already uses a mobility app. The development of intelligent assistance systems, autonomous driving and connected vehicles is the next step toward smart urban planning mobility concepts. What is possible with this - and what must modern urban planning achieve here? What will the mobility of tomorrow look like? Based on GIS data from geographic information systems, plug-and-play technology today can show any type of traffic infrastructure in 3D, simulate all possible traffic scenarios at intersections, or show flows of cars, bicycles, and pedestrians. In this context, the networking of public transport, autonomously driving cars and other means of transport represents one of the upcoming challenges for transport policy makers, municipalities and companies.
Mobility of the future: user-friendly, safe, economically strong
Already today, almost half of the world's population lives and works in urbanized areas. People who want to be supplied with food, energy and mobility. All of these are indispensable foundations of life. If mobility of the future is to succeed, supply within living spaces must be maximally networked and interlinked in order to safeguard a country's economic performance and meet the needs of all as well as possible. To achieve this, the new mobility services must be highly user-friendly and tailored to the user's needs. The ideal mobility of the future? Is demand-oriented, cost-effective, safe, readily available - and, of course, sustainable. Intelligent planning, management and coordination of complex development projects pave the way for this!
Image credit : © DedMityay #314960443 - Adobe Stock
