Mobility in the City of the Future

INTRODUCTION

Many metropolitan cities continue to see growth in population density due to new residents, work commuters, and tourists and visitors. Cities and communities thrive on the successful integration of all three of these groups. With this growth there is one main goal in the future of mobility – to have a safe and easy commute in the shortest and most efficient way possible. These cities require infrastructure support which includes delivery of goods, recovery of recycled materials, waste disposal, and adequate emergency support. Ultimately, cities need to adapt a total eco-system approach that addresses all aspects to meet the needs of the people and environment.

Aerial view of city with connected cars.

PUBLIC AND PRIVATE TRANSPORTATION

Efficient public and private transportation must address options that are optimized for economics, energy efficiency, and air quality. Effective public transportation can play a big role in easy to access, attractive solutions. Easy access increases the number of public users, leading to a decrease in carbon footprint from single vehicles. Therefore, private or semi-private transportation will continue to be a necessity to meet the unique needs of city life.

FUTURE ENVIRONMENTAL SUSTAINABILITY

To create a vibrant, efficient city that meets the challenges for future environmental sustainability, communities must address two key areas. First, the modes of transportation for both people and commercial goods. Transportation must be carbon-neutral to address global warming trends. Secondly, physical traffic congestion must be addressed through digital technologies to optimize traffic flow.

Due to short travel distances, inner-city travel lends itself toward electric vehicles. Electric vehicles can significantly improve carbon emissions, provided they use the right energy source. Electricity, the manufacturing processes, and most importantly batteries, can be used with carbon neutral methods. When short distances are encountered, a wide variety of transport modes should be utilized for people and goods, including cars, buses, and 2-wheelers. Small vehicles and 2-wheelers allow for smaller motors and batteries, leading to a reduction in weight, energy use, and congestion footprint. Optimized routes can enable similar advances for city buses.

Source: xoio.de/daimler-zukunftsszenario-nutzfahrzeuge/
A city in the future of mobility with connected cars and drones.

SMART CITIES

We can address efficiency of travel by developing smart cities with sensors, transmitters, and high-speed, low latency connectivity. This enables real-time assessments of traffic conditions, and creates opportunities to communicate conditions and redirect traffic flow. The use of digital twins and AI can enable significant optimization in traffic conditions. If smart city infrastructure is combined with autonomous vehicles, its features can further improve dynamic traffic flow, while also addressing safety needs. Additionally, smart city infrastructure must also address new solutions for the separation of different road users. The solutions should include safe operation for bicycles and 2-wheelers for goods, as well as pedestrian zones.

SMART CITIES AND LHP EUROPE WORKING HAND IN HAND

City and industry leaders must work together to fully leverage the above capabilities to address today’s challenges. They must realize the potential to create a vibrant, sustainable city where all aspects of society benefit. LHP Europe is committed to partnering with employees, industries, and communities to enable a better, more sustainable world for future generations. As such, LHP Europe is actively engaged in technologies and digitalization that can support the vision of the future city described above. We strive for solutions to increase the safety of transporting people and goods. Additionally, we aim to decrease the CO2 footprint of today’s society. These complex solutions require interdisciplinary composition of teams where individual experts contribute a plethora of knowledge to create viable solutions. Do you stand with the mobility for the future?


Written by: Ralf Marquard – Managing Director, LHP Europe GmbH

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