6 challenges of the automotive and mobility of the future
The automotive and mobility industry is facing unprecedented challenges. Decarbonisation and the change towards a more sustainable and environmentally friendly production model are leading to the rise of new transport models: the electric car, the connected vehicle, autonomous driving, intelligent logistics networks…
But for this new model to be operational and widespread, the industry is facing important changes such as the transformation of the combustion car, electrification of vehicles, autonomy of electric batteries, a network of globalised recharging points, security in autonomous driving…
1.Covid-19
Without a doubt, the great challenge facing this industry, like many others, is recovery after the impact of the Covid-19, which brought an unprecedented halt to automobile factories and the supply chain of the entire auxiliary industry worldwide. Today, most of the plants of automotive companies are already working at almost full capacity, but they must cope with the millions of dollars in losses accumulated during these months and, above all, be alert to the possible evolution of the pandemic and the prevention of contagion involving new production stoppages.
2. Sustainability
Emissions are one of the current issues in the industry in general and the automotive industry in particular. The mobility model of the future looks towards more sustainable and less polluting transport in which renewable energies and the replacement of combustion systems with green alternatives will prevail. In this sense, tax incentives and aid implemented at national and European levels are important to encourage the purchase of less polluting vehicles and promote new ways of moving more in line with the sustainability of our cities of the future.
3. Electric vehicle
In line with the point of sustainability, the electric vehicle is presented as the great revolution in today’s automobile. Although today these cars only represent 3% of the car fleet in most countries, the trend is clearly upward and is one of the most powerful segments of this market. To globalize their use, however, it will be necessary to overcome major challenges such as improving electric batteries and their autonomy, a global and stable network of recharging points and more affordable prices for the average consumer.
4. Autonomous and connected vehicle
The idea of self-driven cars sounded forward-looking years ago, but now it’s starting to become a reality, at least in the experimental phase. Although its use is far from widespread, in recent years there have been great advances in the field of autonomous driving that offer promising results for safer and more efficient mobility in the future. However, this will require resolving issues of liability in the event of accidents, minimizing “machine” error and achieving a communication and connectivity network that supports the future connection of millions of vehicles by making decisions by humans in real time.
5. Shared mobility and new cities
The mobility model is changing, and with it the forms of consumption linked to the automobile. Uber and cabify revolutionized the market in their day, breaking into a new business model based on the car as a service and not as property. These models, far from being diluted, have only become more established and will undoubtedly mark the pattern of mobility in many cities of the future, where users see no benefit in, for example, owning a car and prefer to opt for shared alternatives which, in some cases, can also reinforce sustainability and respect for the environment.
6. Innovation and competitiveness
The global model in which we live requires companies to implement processes of continuous improvement and encourage innovation, which will undoubtedly be even more relevant in the coming years to meet challenges such as decarbonization, adaptation of sales models and other developments that are affecting a sector, the automotive and mobility, in constant change.
During the AutoMob Summit, we will analyze the current state of the industry and look at the future of this sector, which is undergoing a transformation with great challenges but also opportunities.