The way in which people and goods move is fundamentally changing, creating new growth opportunities for the transport and technology industry. The disruption is being driven by four key trends which are emerging simultaneously, collectively known as ACES ‘Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared/ Smart’ mobility.
Global consultants ARUP recently reported that the world market for Connected and Autonomous Vehicle (CAV) technologies alone will be worth €70bn by 2035 [Referring to Catapult Transport Systems. 2017. “Market Forecast for Connected and Autonomous Vehicles”]. This does not include the ancillary electric and mobility services for which staggering growth is forecast.
These new mobility technologies will find their breakthrough in the coming years and will enable new services in the area of traffic safety, traffic flow, and comfort. These impact areas and others were the main topics of discussion on Wednesday, February 12, 2020 in an event organised by ARUP in collaboration with the Roads and Transportation Society (RTS) of Engineers Ireland for the launch of a programme of events that sets out to establish 2020 as the year of Intelligent Mobility.
During this launch event, John McCarthy and Padraic Kenny started the conversation around the key enablers and main pillars of the “Intelligent Mobility” and “Mobility as a Service”. John and Padraic highlighted then need of the state-of-the-art technology but also and most importantly the need for an eco-system fostering collaboration and interactions amongst multinationals, SMEs, Startups and Research Institutions. A vision and statement that is well aligned with Future Mobility Campus Ireland that aims to build a national asset not only for testing new technologies for future mobility but also to create such collaborative ecosystem.
The event also included a panel discussion featuring representatives of Jaguar Land Rover, Smart Dublin, DTTAS, Free Now and TII. The panelists commented on how Intelligent Mobility is about connecting people, places and goods across
all modes of transport. Previous experiences and prediction models show that proper integration and connectivity between these concepts enables the next generation of Future and Innovative Mobility Services.
Future Mobility Campus Ireland will facilitate the test and validation of such innovations; providing the conditions for start-ups, SMEs, MNCs and researchers to trial, test and innovate solutions for systems and technologies in a “laboratory with real-life conditions”. The installation of state-of-the-art connectivity technologies at the testbed will deliver an environment that provides the automotive industry, component suppliers, telecommunications companies and research institutions with the opportunity to adopt new approaches to develop innovations for appropriate and forward-looking infrastructures.