Skip to main content

New research finds huge sustainability benefits from new urban mobility models

New research by UK communications technology specialist BT and Frost & Sullivan finds that new urban mobility models such as ride-sharing, smart parking technologies and ride-on-demand could reduce the amount of cars needed on urban roads globally by up to 20 million vehicles per year in 2025, offering huge sustainability benefits and an improved experience for travellers. The research, Environmentally Sustainable Innovation in Automotive Manufacturing and Urban Mobility, suggests that consumer trends t
June 29, 2016 Read time: 3 mins
New research by UK communications technology specialist 1974 BT and 2097 Frost & Sullivan finds that new urban mobility models such as ride-sharing, smart parking technologies and ride-on-demand could reduce the amount of cars needed on urban roads globally by up to 20 million vehicles per year in 2025, offering huge sustainability benefits and an improved experience for travellers.

The research, Environmentally Sustainable Innovation in Automotive Manufacturing and Urban Mobility, suggests that consumer trends towards ‘on demand’ access rather than product ownership is prompting car manufacturers to consider ride-on-demand business models. When combined with the integration of smart vehicles and smart roads and cities, all connected, these business models will lead to fewer and more efficient journeys, reducing journeys in private cars overall by 360 billion kilometres per year within the next decade.

According to the research, these developments stand to reduce carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions by 56 megatonnes per year in 2025, an amount equivalent to more than half the yearly emissions from transport in the UK. A further reduction of 121 megatonnes of CO2 equivalent emissions could be achieved by automotive companies due to the reduction of the global car output by 20 million vehicles per year.

The challenge to car manufacturers isn’t limited to reducing pollution, says the report. Changing needs and habits of a young, always-on generation increasingly open to using Mobility as a Service (MaaS), and less likely to own a car, pose a challenge to traditional automotive companies.

Hubertus von Roenne, vice president global industry practices, BT says the findings show that IoT solutions will transform the entire industry. Traditional car manufacturers are rethinking their business models and will become personal mobility service providers.

According to Martyn Briggs, industry principal, Frost & Sullivan, ICT solutions are enabling service providers to overcome some of the challenges inherent in urban mobility, whilst improving the user experience and encouraging more sustainable travel. New mobility business models can achieve exactly this, he says.

With technology enabling a new way to approach urban mobility, a paradigm shift from the current ‘predict and provide’ of transportation to a ‘sense and respond’ will be introduced, using historical analytics and real-time information to deliver mobility services on-demand.

“The logic of our analysis was to reveal both the potential impacts and benefits of new mobility business models. We quantified the potential reduction in embodied carbon from vehicle manufacturing with the future reduced volume of vehicles required,” Briggs continues.

For more information on companies in this article

Related Content

  • European market for EV charging stations expected to grow
    May 31, 2013
    New analysis from Frost and Sullivan, Strategic Technology and Market Analysis of Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure in Europe, finds that the market for electric (EV) charging stations is expected to grow rapidly from 7,250 charging stations in 2012 to over 3.1 million by 2019 at a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 113.3 per cent over the period 2012-2019. France, Germany, Norway and the United Kingdom are expected to lead the market due to the high adoption rates of EVs in these countries.
  • Road space utilisation improves travel times, reduces costs
    February 1, 2012
    For major road works schemes, necessary lane closures are timed to minimise congestion, most frequently at night and on weekends when traffic is at its lightest. As a result, rigid timetables are used in planning, programming and implementing work. In the UK, to calculate the expected traffic demand through roads works, historic profiles from the loop-based MIDAS (Motorway Incident Detection Automatic Signalling) system were used. These provided a valuable indicator of anticipated traffic behaviour but were
  • Automotive OEMs standardise testing to comply with RDE deadlines, say researchers
    February 15, 2017
    Following 'dieselgate', the previously lax automobile emission testing procedures tightened and all European original equipment manufacturers (OEMs) are now required to implement real driving emissions (RDE). In September, RDE testing will have a conformity factor of 2.1, which will change to 1.5 by September 2021. OEMs will be more transparent with their testing methods and results. After the implementation of RDE, adoption of World Harmonisation Light Vehicle Test Procedure (WLTP) will be simpler. The
  • Virtual ticket? It's the future
    January 12, 2024
    We're asking ITS and transportation leaders to give us the heads-up on where mobility is headed in 2024 and beyond. Nick Mackie, head of urban transit at Visa, shares his thoughts