There wasn’t a car in sight at the first ever MOVE event. Mobility pioneers from around the world came together at ExCeL London, with the common belief that the classic automobile will soon be a thing of the past.
The room was full of mobility solutions, scooters and e-bikes – which most experts expect to replace cars and vans in the ‘last mile’ stretch of the delivery process.
As the official media partner, Auto Futures conducted 27 interviews with leaders of automakers, energy providers and technology specialists.
Among the many disruptive trends on the agenda, it was agreed that collaboration is key to progression.
The major gas companies are leading the way, partnering with tech-start-ups to make transport more sustainable. While Shell is driving the extraction of renewables like Hydrogen and Biofuel, BP is investing in companies like StoreDot, that is developing a battery that’ll charge a vehicle in under five minutes.
Oxbotica, a pioneering UK autonomous specialist, hopes to rollout its software in London taxis within a year. Their CEO Dr Graeme Smith was confident of progress, predicting autonomous vehicles to be operational in five years and ready for the public within the decade.
Another leader with sky-high ambitions is Bell’s Michael Thacker. With a rich heritage of innovation – that includes building the world’s first helicopter – Bell is now working on an electric, autonomous flying taxi. Having helped develop a prototype that minimises noise and maximises safety, Thacker is confident regulation will be agreed in time to roll-out the technology by the mid-2020s.
“MOVE brought together experts from all over the world, covering important topics such as carsharing, electrification and multi-model transport,” said Auto Futures Editor Alex Kreetzer.
“Like many, the biggest surprise for me was the lack of vehicles and our coverage proves there’s a huge shift in focus within the transport sector.”
Watch all our coverage from MOVE 2019 at autofutures.tv.
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