ESN Issues Report on Evolution and Future of Transportation

NEWS RELEASE

Energy Systems Network issues comprehensive report on the evolution, future of transportation sector

Emerging technologies and business models have potential to create ‘Mobility-as-a-System’ for a cheaper, more efficient and equitable transportation framework

(INDIANAPOLIS, Ind., April 2, 2019) Energy Systems Network (ESN) released a report that examines market trends, opportunities, and future implications of the evolving advanced mobility sector, which includes a variety of transportation modes such as cars, transit buses, scooters, and bicycles.

Click to access report

Emerging Mobility Technologies and Trends is a comprehensive review and discussion of the evolution of the transportation and mobility industry, from the 20th century’s orientation toward roadways and personal automobiles; to vehicles’ current advancements propelled by electrification, automation, and sharing; to the emergence of “micromobility” (such as bikes or scooters) and other functional modes and business models, including Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) models that offer a variety of transportation solutions based on the consumer’s specific needs through one platform.

ESN’s Director of Mobility, Matt Peak, is the author of the report. Peak’s background includes about 20 years’ experience in catalyzing emerging transportation and clean energy technologies.

“In 2017, over 85 percent of all trips were 15 miles or less, while only about 5 percent were 31 miles or more,” said Peak. “When organized around these realities, emerging mobility technologies and modes have the potential to work together, complement transit’s functionalities, and enable a convenient system for travel that doesn’t depend on personal car ownership.”

Currently, more than 76 percent of Americans drive alone to work every day, while only 5 percent use public transit. The report suggests that emerging technologies – including electric vehicles, route optimization, on-demand transportation services, MaaS pricing models, and “first/last mile” solutions – can help reverse these statistics, revive ridership, and establish a robust public ‘transit grid’ upon which a broader system architecture can be layered.

According to the report, this confluence of different modes, service providers, and usage and pricing models is laying the groundwork for a new “Mobility-as-a-System” (MaaSys) landscape, which the report defines as maintaining – or even exceeding – the mobility provided by the personal automobile while negating its drawbacks, including congestion, cost, pollution, and accidents.

This report follows previous ESN thought leadership publications and reports, including the Energy Storage Roadmap Report, which was originally developed for ESN board member companies Duke Energy, MISO, Cummins and Vectren Corporation (now CenterPoint Energy) and is now available publicly on ESN’s website.

The Emerging Mobility Technologies and Trends executive summary and full report are both accessible at www.energysystemsnetwork.com/mobility-report.

Contact:         

Melissa Roberts, Energy Systems Network

Phone: 317-501-4136

Email: [email protected]