It is hard at the moment to think about anything other than COVID-19. It is impacting our lives in ways we never could have imagined. Here at DG Cities, we’re continuing to work on all of our projects (as much as is possible given the current circumstances), and while we know lockdown is essential, it’s not always enjoyable (despite what the positive yogis and Jamie Olivers of the world may say).

So in this blog, we will not discuss the very large elephant in the room. Instead, let us provide some respite from the general news, and provide a small fraction of positive news and advancements within one of the sectors we know best, mobility! Together, Juliet and I have compiled some of the positive stories within the field regarding all things EV, smart mobility and future mobility in 2020 so far. We hope this blog will provide you with something that we can celebrate and look forward to as we emerge from our current state of anxious lockdown. May it brighten your day, and keep you positive and optimistic for the future! 

Our first piece of good news...

Keeping it close to home, here in the UK we’re making exciting progress in the EV wireless charging world! A set of ten Nottingham Taxis are to trial using wireless charging technology, filling up intermittently through charging plates installed at Nottingham Train Station in a UK-first, and ConnectedKerb are rolling out induction charging pads at select locations across the UK, including in residential streets, car parks and taxi ranks. 

Wireless charging eliminates many of the constraints of traditional EV plug-in, as it can enable charging on-the-go (when pads are sunken either at frequent stopping points like taxi-ranks and traffic lights, or even placed consecutively under motorway lanes), helping to reduce range-anxiety, street clutter of bulky equipment and trip-hazard cables and even mitigates you forgetting to plug that pesky cable in before the drive to work tomorrow. You’ve just got to remember to park in the right space! Paired with the provision of clean energy, we’ll be well on our way to that more-sustainable future we dream of. 

Another positive story...

Casting our sights across the world and over to somewhere slightly more tropical… Sri Lanka! Tuk-tuks are currently an essential form of affordable travel in Sri-Lanka, with around one million of these vehicles being used in the country. However, the vast majority of these are powered by fossil fuels and using internal combustion engines (ICEs), and the result is a significant amount of greenhouse gas emissions and other pollutants. But hopefully not for long! Entrepreneurs in Sri Lanka are developing electric tuk-tuks by converting traditional ICE models. This, upscaled, has massive potential for cleaning up the air and helping Sri Lanka to achieve their greenhouse gas emissions target of a 30% reduction by 2030. Watch this four-minute video to meet one of the entrepreneurs and get as inspired as we are!

And a third reason to feel optimistic...

And our final story - more generally, electric cars have been shown, across 95% of the world, to produce less carbon emissions that their diesel and petrol counterparts. It has been long-feared that electric vehicles may actually create more harm than good, as they are more energy-intensive to manufacture, and still contribute to carbon emissions via charging from the grid (which is powered by a combination of carbon-intensive and renewable energy sources). However, this study shows that, even when accounting for the entire life cycle of the vehicle from production → usage → end-of-life disposal, electric cars produce significantly less carbon dioxide. In the UK, total carbon emissions are 30% lower for electric vehicles, but this is likely to decrease even further as e-vehicles become more efficient and CO2 levels are reduced from the grid. 

This story highlights that new innovations can positively impact our environment and society. However, we must always strive to think about the whole-system impact of any new service/product we introduce - taking into account the wider implications and impacts on people, environment and systems outside of its immediate remit. 

That isn’t to say that there isn’t more to be done.  With the government recently reducing funding for EVs (though, apparently, this could reflect the EV market’s increasing affordability), MaaS services such as Lyft and Uber found to have higher emissions than private cars (taking into account both passenger numbers and distance travelled), and a lot more work still needed to provide ample charging infrastructure to support electric vehicle usage, it is clear that more work is needed. 

Future mobility is much more than just replacing diesel with electric vehicles, but if something positive can come from the events we are experiencing, it is the opportunity to step out of the box and imagine a different way of living and being that is inherently more sustainable. The above may seem trivial at this time of uncertainty, but it is important to garner the positive advances that await us once this period of uncertainty and lockdown is over. This time is an opportunity to think creatively and differently about how we can solve some of the most pressing issues facing our people and planet, both within the city, and outside of it, and create a future that we would like to inhabit, and move around in!

And when ‘normality’ resumes, we have some exciting developments to look forward to that will aid our transition to a sustainable future. Electric vehicles and associated smart innovations within mobility will help us to ensure that our future world is a happy, healthy and resilient one.