14 minute read
FUTURE OF MOBILITY
THE FUTURE OF MOBILITY
Bang Sun Jeong, Vice President, Head of Middle East & Africa Operation, Hyundai Motor Company looks at the emerging technology shaping mobility
With climate change continuing to be an important topic around the world, more questions are being asked of how automobile manufacturers can help reduce the emissions that are being produced by vehicles on a daily basis.
According to statistics from the International Energy Agency, road transportation accounts for three-quarters of transport emissions while transportation alone makes up one-fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions. It is a significant problem and one that simply cannot be ignored.
In recent years, several vehicle makers including Hyundai Motor Company, have committed to play their part in addressing this issue by providing clean mobility. We are already seeing the beginning of this with many clean and energy-efficient vehicles being driven on the roads today.
Most of them are battery electric vehicles (BEVs) which are becoming an increasingly popular choice for consumers today. It is easy to see why. Many governments around the globe have rolled out financial incentives to encourage the adoption as part of its long-term strategy to go green.
For instance, the United Kingdom is set to ban the sales of new cars and vans that are powered by diesel or petrol from 2030 while the American government has pledged to invest heavily in clean energy including electric vehicles with plans to install 500,000 new charging outlets by the end of 2030. This would be a huge jump given there are currently less than 29,000 public EV chargers across the U.S.
Although these plans would help accelerate the sales of BEVs, trying to change the majority of people’s behaviours to switch to ‘greener’ and sustainable vehicles will not be easy.
How long would it take to charge? Is it affordable? How far would consumers be able to travel and how long would the batteries last before it needs replacing? These are just some of the questions being raised by potential new buyers before making the final decision and doing their part in protecting the environment.
Many of these answers are largely down to the use of advanced technologies and how practical they are. Today, more organisations within the industry are collaborating to leverage different forms of technologies to develop vehicles and infrastructure that will make BEVs a climate-friendly way to get around.
While these are big steps forward, BEVs
XCIENT EXCITES MARKET
Hyundai Motor has already started exporting its XCIENT Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass-produced fuel cell heavyduty truck – with 2,000 units being developed per year by 2021 to support expansion in Europe, the US and China.
are not the only transport solution that will help make our cities and towns cleaner.
Hydrogen power has been on the market for many years but in a very limited capacity. Yet, it has been identified as a key green transportation technology and in recent years, Hydrogen, the most abundant element on Earth, has become a vital resource in the automotive industry.
Hydrogen cars or fuel-cell electric vehicles (FCEV) as they are widely known today are unlike BEVs.
Firstly, FCEVs are installed with a hydrogen tank that enters the fuel cell using a combination of hydrogen and oxygen which generates electricity to power the motors. This means that hydrogen cars have characteristics of both electric cars
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is among countries that already have installed a H2 fuelling station”
due to the use of electric energy and conventional petrol cars which have tanks.
As well as reducing carbon footprints and greenhouse gases, another difference is that FCEVs do not require consumers to plug in the vehicle to an outlet for refuelling which can be done between five and 10 minutes.
For example, the Hyundai NEXO Fuel Cell only needs less than five minutes to refuel for a driving range of up to 380 miles. To put that into perspective, that is almost the distance of a full-round trip between Washington DC and New York compared to BEVs which can range between 100 and 200 miles.
Furthermore, FCEVs can store more energy at a lower density while hydrogen is a more sustainable and long-term fuelling option that can be used for long periods without even harming the environment.
Despite these positives, one of the biggest challenges is costs. Although a variety of FCEVs have been rolled out in the last two decades including Hyundai’s Santa Fe FCEV –the Company’s first fuel cell EV and the world’s first mass-produced FCEV Hyundai ix35, the demand is relatively low.
There are many reasons for this but one of the main problems is that they are expensive to buy. This is largely down to manufacturing and technology costs which will only drop when production numbers rise.
Even if consumers can afford a new FCEV, there needs to be a substantial number of Hydrogen fueling stations across all countries and these facilities will only be built by fuel companies if there is enough business.
However, the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia is among the countries that already have installed at least a fueling station which shows that some nations are more than ready to welcome hydrogen-powered vehicles to their roads.
It is clear that BEVs and FCEVs have the advantage of producing zero local emissions and at Hyundai Motor, we see a bright future for both types of vehicles. It is part of our vision to produce automobiles that are sustainable and eco-friendly.
Yet, we realise that a huge amount of work needs to be done to provide a clean mobility landscape. As part of our long-term strategy, Hyundai plans to roll out at least 12 BEV models with the objective to sell 560,000 EVs per year by 2025. During this same period, Hyundai Motor Group, plans to expand its BEV lineup to 23 models by 2025 with the goal to sell 1 million units annually in global markets.
At the same time, Hyundai Motor Group has set out its ‘FCEV Vision 2030’
roadmap, reaffirming its commitment to accelerate the development of a hydrogen society by leveraging its global leadership in fuel cell technologies.
During the next nine years, Hyundai Motor Group aims to secure a 700,000-unitsa-year production capacity of fuel cell systems for automobiles as well as for non-automotive sectors, such as vessels, rail cars, drones and power generators. As for fuel cell vehicles, Hyundai Motor has already started exporting its XCIENT Fuel Cell, the world’s first mass-produced fuel cell heavy-duty truck.
If members of society are to shift to these vehicles, it would require policy-makers, governments and industry experts to work together and overcome any challenges.
It is simply not enough to develop these vehicles for the roads in mass production unless there is sufficient infrastructure in place and are affordable to buy and operate. Therefore, resourcefulness will be key to clean and sustainable mobility.
Rising UAMs
The rise of advanced technologies has meant
the automotive industry is continuing to change at such a pace that travel concepts that we had never imagined before or once saw in sci-fi films could soon become a reality in the coming years.
At a time where automobiles have become the most popular and convenient choice of transport for millions of people around the world, plans are already being drawn up on how to take the everyday modes of travelling to the next level. The opportunities are endless but by simply looking beyond the roads, Urban Air Mobility (UAM) seems certain to be the next phase of mobility that will get people from point A to B. In recent years, it has been a topic that has been widely discussed for a long time and will continue to do until they start operating around the world.
There are reasons why it has been talked about in industry conferences and on different media platforms. Futuristic and creative as they may be, air vehicles, formally known as vertical take-off and landing aircrafts (VTOLs), could well transform the way we commute, work and live going forward.
There is a lot of potential for the UAM sector which is expected to be worth $1.5 trillion in the next 20 years.
Air vehicles are an exciting concept to look forward to and there are many benefits of having this means of transportation. For example, it can offer quicker commutes and therefore save significant time compared to ground-based transport. To give you an idea of how much time people generally spend behind the wheel - statistics show that drivers in London spend an average of 227 hours or nine-and-a-half days every year stuck in traffic.
Furthermore, it can also pave the way to ease the traffic burden on city roads as well as provide a better connection for people between remote and urban areas.
However, before we can even think about the possibility of using Urban Air Mobility, a comprehensive framework and approach must be required. From analysing, researching, designing to building, every stage of the process must be carefully thought through to ensure Urban Air Mobility services operate efficiently and gradually become an important part of our everyday lives just like how automobiles have been for so many years.
As a new travelling solution that will fundamentally change the way we move around, this presents several challenges. For starters, air vehicles will need to be designed and built. Then building an ecosystem and making sure there is an appropriate infrastructure to take-off and land. This poses some big hurdles considering space in big cities is already limited while rooftops could be expensive to use.
At the same time, the need to draw up and implement air traffic rules are also crucial. Decisions will also have to be made on fuel stations, parking regulations, insurance policies, safety and educating the public on the advantages that Urban Air Mobility can offer.
Looking at the wider picture, building an ecosystem that is suitable for Urban
INEVITABLE NEW TECHNOLOGY
Bang Son Jeong believes it is inevitable that we will be seeing more BEVs and FCEVs “being driven in the future as they are part of the solution that will make our cities cleaner.”
BECOMING PART OF OUR LIVES
Work is being done to ensure that Urban Air Mobility services operate efficiently and gradually become an important part of our everyday lives “just like how automobiles have been for so many years,” says Bang Sun Jeong.
Air Mobility is certainly complex but not impossible. While small steps are already being taken with organisations of all sizes in the industry coming up with their innovative ideas as well as exploring viable options, a collective effort must be required to drive that change and make an impact.
Developing and opening the market for Urban Air Mobility requires all types of collaboration, including public-private partnerships and even partnerships with competitors. This is because no one entity or organisation can do it alone and the list of vested stakeholders includes a broad and diverse set of voices.
Therefore, it is important everyone contributes for the greater good. It will ‘take a village’ to develop a scalable system to support Urban Air Mobility and all organisations involved will need to work hard to identify and bring that village together.
One of the other important topics that will need to be explored by experts and professionals are the costs. To make Urban Air Mobility appealing, it needs to be affordable for all members of society. It does not seem logical at all to create a concept that only wealthy people can afford – it must be accessible for everyone.
Another is how will the air vehicles operate? Having trained pilots is one possible option. While this could be extremely expensive considering the resources that will be needed to identify, train and pay their salaries, having a human being in control of the air vehicle will not only help make journeys safer for passengers but also create employment.
The costs of potential seating for commercial use, the prices of every ride, as well as the purchasing costs of personal air vehicles if or when they do become available must also be taken into account.
These concerns can be addressed by introducing autonomous electric versions of VTOLs. Although there are significant engineering challenges, this will be the most sustainable and viable option for the environment.
Questions will be asked of which type of batteries are suitable. Firstly, they cannot be too heavy but must have enough capacity of power to conduct several flights per day. Secondly, they must also be able to charge quickly as time will be of the essence to secure as much revenue as possible. Thirdly, the air vehicles will need to be designed and built depending on the choice of autonomous or pilot use as each one will be different when operating.
With so many opportunities it can offer, Hyundai Motor is investing $1.5 billion into opening up the skies above the world’s busiest cities. We are already working extensively in developing our own Personal Air Vehicles (PAV) with plans to roll them out from 2028.
We have partnered with Uber to develop Uber Air Taxis in which Hyundai will produce and deploy the air vehicles. Every day we are taking a step closer to achieving this goal but there is still a long way to go before we develop an excellent PAV that is equipped with electric VTOL that consumers can use.
Overall, there are many challenges to overcome with Urban Air Mobility, but it presents a greater opportunity to connect people in new ways and reduce the volume of cars in city areas.
Therefore, it is vital that a project of this scale and size is not rushed, and for all relevant stakeholders and partners invest the time and effort as required to deliver these unique travelling experiences.
We look forward to the exciting future when these services will change the paradigm of transportation in the way people and goods move around.
ALEXA, GET ME A SUV
Amazon Home Services moves into online car rental space in UAE
Last month, saw retail behemoth Amazon launch its online car rental service through Amazon Home Services in the UAE
Available across Dubai, Abu Dhabi, Sharjah, Ajman, and Ras Al Khaimah, the online car rental service features a range of service providers offering multiple automotive brands with SUVs, Hatchbacks, and Sedan options.
Standard rental options from its partners include one day to one month car rentals with vehicles delivered directly to the selected address, explained the online retailer in a statement, adding: “Delivering a convenient customer experience, the rental includes the full rental duration, delivery and collection fees of the selected car and third-party auto insurance, with no security deposit required – and starts from rates as low as AED 44 per day.”
According to Mordor Intelligence, the UAE ranks as one of the largest car rental markets in the GCC. With the market forecast to grow at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 15.7 percent between 2020 and 2025. The launch effectively sees Amazon act as a middle man between the car rental agencies and their customers. A move which further broadens its presence in the market and widens the service it offers.
“We launched Amazon Home Services last year to give customers in the UAE a simple way to book services from handpicked, locallybased service providers with the same ease as purchasing products from Amazon.ae,” said Amazon MENA executive Amine Mamlouk.
“We are continuously innovating on behalf of our customers and the launch of online car rental services via Amazon Home Services gives them an alternative option to traditional car hire, eliminating the hassle of queuing, having to travel to get their rental car, or paying a hefty security deposit. Within a couple of steps and a short three-hour wait time, customers can have the car of their choice delivered directly to their doorstep, all from the comfort of their own home.”
The ability to hail a car via Alexa has been warmly received in other markets and with Amazon customers. The car rental industry has largely embraced the e-commerce’s move into the space too.
AVIS, for instance, is working with Amazon Web Services Premier Consulting partner Slalom help develop a connected car mobility platform. Through the partnership, Avis is using new analytics tools in AWS that are designed for connected vehicles and fleet management.
Ultimately, Avis wants to collect six types of real-time data from all its vehicles in AWS: Location, odometer reading, fuel or electric charge level, diagnostic codes, remote access and user authentication.
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