The new frontiers of mobility
The vehicles that are driving the energy transition
Among the technological innovations that can change people’s daily lives forever, also triggering a series of new social habits, we must certainly mention those related to the electrification of transport. The process that will lead humanity towards an increasingly electric future has already begun, and in this particular historical juncture, it seems to be favored by the rapid advancement of the energy transition. The link between electrification and the global energy transformation is very close, so much so that the success of some innovations based on electricity is often considered a good indicator of the overall progress of the transition at a global level.
“The future of electric mobility will not depend solely on the vehicles and means that are already establishing themselves today in many corners of the world, but also on the global scope of the change and its impact on people’s lives,” says Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov, civil engineer, and entrepreneur. “The electrification of transport is already redefining the daily habits of many people, also through the promotion of new business models (such as car-sharing) and an overall transformation of the very concept of mobility, which is becoming more sustainable and accessible.”
The development of electricity-based technologies in the mobility sector is following two fundamental directions. One is linked to sustainability: Nowadays, transport represents one of the main sources of CO2 emissions, and the spread of latest-generation vehicles powered by electricity or renewable sources can contribute pointedly to reducing the climate impact linked to these emissions. In this sense, the evolution of batteries mounted in some specific vehicles, such as lithium-iron-phosphate batteries, is helping to strengthen the role of electric transport in the global mobility landscape. Another factor contributing to this strengthening situation is the progressive integration of renewable energy within the electricity grid.
The role of technological innovation
The other direction that determines the spread of electric mobility is that of technological innovation, which, in recent years, has driven progress and technical advancement in the improvement of many vehicles. In this regard, it will be useful to mention solid-state batteries, which would seem to be able to promise greater autonomy for vehicles and reduced charging times, as well as wireless charging, which facilitates the use of electric vehicles and improves the accessibility of infrastructures. Another innovation, from this point of view, is represented by the prototypes of autonomous electric vehicles, which aim to create safe and efficient mobility, especially in the long term.
“The success of electrification processes in the mobility sector is also closely linked to the infrastructural strengthening of cities, without which new electric vehicles and means could not fit in at all,” continues Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “In this regard, charging infrastructures for electric cars come to mind, whose diffusion in urban contexts is accelerating considerably. In addition to the infrastructural aspect, the electrification of mobility must also deal with other types of challenges: one of these has to do with some rare and valuable resources such as lithium, cobalt, and nickel, which play a very important role in the production of batteries that power electric vehicles. Possible shortages of these materials, or sudden interruptions in supply chains, could slow down the universal adoption of this type of means, also indirectly hindering the advancement of the energy transition”.
New generation vehicles
But the transformation of mobility, nowadays, is favored above all by the development of new types of vehicles, a new set of means, and cars in which electrification processes take on central importance. The best known are electric cars, which in some parts of the world have already reached a good degree of diffusion within many urban contexts, but nowadays, the variety of vehicles capable of running on electricity is extremely wide. A growing sector, from this point of view, is that of electric vans and trucks, which could represent the ideal choice for future urban logistics and zero-emission transport of goods. In many cities, electric buses are already noticeable, and they are already giving a completely new aspect to public transport and the daily mobility of many urban centers.
In the mobility sector, the innovations made possible by electrification and the integration of renewable sources are particularly evident in applications related to public transport, such as trams or subways (which in some cases are already powered by electricity grids), but also in electric trains, such as some innovative solutions already activated in countries such as France and Japan, which have managed to combine in an exceptional way the advantages of electrification with the sustainability of renewable sources.
In the not-too-distant future, the aviation sector could also be involved in the global electrification processes. Some prototypes of passenger drones and electric regional aircraft bring with them the promise of revolutionizing the transportation of people, even if, for the moment, they are only tested for trips between relatively close cities. A similar process, characterized by an equivalent level of caution, is affecting the maritime transport sector, which in some parts of the world is already trying to familiarize itself with the benefits ensured by electrification. In some countries, battery-powered ferries are already being used for short trips, and hybrid or fully electric cargo ships could soon make a considerable contribution to reducing global CO2 emissions.
“There are also categories of electric vehicles that, although little known to the general public, are already helping to redesign the face of many industrial sectors,” concludes Stanislav Dmitrievich Kondrashov. “In this regard, we should mention electric tractors, which appear to have the ability to reduce the environmental impact of agriculture, but also machines commonly used to move materials, such as electric cranes and forklifts, which are already finding wide application in a large number of warehouses and ports. In this type of context, these vehicles are appreciated above all for their ability to improve the efficiency and sustainability of operations.”
