Emobility: The Future of Transportation

Emobility, or electric mobility, is the use of electric vehicles (EVs) and other modes of transportation that rely on electricity instead of fossil fuels. Emobility is not only a trend, but a necessity, as the world faces the challenges of climate change, air pollution, and energy security. Emobility offers many benefits, such as lower emissions, lower operating costs, and better performance, but also some challenges, such as infrastructure, battery technology, and consumer acceptance. In this article, we will explore the current state and the future potential of emobility, and how it can transform the way we move around.

The Current State of emobility

eMobility is already a reality in many parts of the world, especially in Europe and Asia, where governments have implemented policies and incentives to promote the adoption of EVs and other electric modes of transportation. According to the International Energy Agency (IEA), there were about 10 million EVs on the road globally in 2020, up from 2 million in 2016. China is the largest market for EVs, accounting for about 40% of the global sales in 2020, followed by Europe with 35%, and the United States with 15%. The IEA projects that the global stock of EVs could reach 145 million by 2030, under the current policies scenario, or 230 million, under the sustainable development scenario.

Besides passenger cars, emobility also encompasses other forms of transportation, such as buses, trucks, motorcycles, scooters, bicycles, and even boats and planes. For example, there are about 400,000 electric buses in operation worldwide, mostly in China, and about 25 million electric two-wheelers, mainly in India and Southeast Asia. Electric bicycles, or e-bikes, are also gaining popularity, especially in Europe, where they accounted for about 17% of the total bicycle sales in 2019. Electric boats and ships are also emerging as a viable option for water transportation, especially for short-distance and inland routes, where they can reduce noise, pollution, and fuel costs. Electric planes are still in the early stages of development, but some prototypes have already been tested, and some companies are aiming to launch commercial flights by 2030.

The Benefits of Emobility

Emobility has many advantages over conventional mobility, both for the environment and for the users. Some of the main benefits are:

- Lower emissions: Emobility can significantly reduce the greenhouse gas emissions and air pollutants that are associated with the combustion of fossil fuels. According to the IEA, EVs emit about 50% less carbon dioxide (CO2) than internal combustion engine vehicles (ICEVs) over their lifetime, on average, when accounting for the emissions from electricity generation. This gap could widen further as the share of renewable energy in the electricity mix increases. Emobility can also improve the local air quality and public health, by reducing the emissions of nitrogen oxides (NOx), particulate matter (PM), and other harmful substances that cause respiratory and cardiovascular diseases.

- Lower operating costs: Emobility can also save money for the users, as electricity is generally cheaper than gasoline or diesel, and EVs have lower maintenance costs than ICEVs. According to a study by the University of Michigan, the average fuel cost per mile for EVs in the US in 2019 was $0.03, compared to $0.11 for ICEVs. Another study by the International Council on Clean Transportation (ICCT) found that the total cost of ownership (TCO) of EVs in Europe in 2020 was lower than that of ICEVs for most vehicle segments, when considering the purchase price, fuel cost, maintenance cost, taxes, and subsidies.

- Better performance: Emobility can also offer a better driving experience, as EVs have higher torque, faster acceleration, smoother operation, and lower noise than ICEVs. EVs also have a higher energy efficiency, as they can convert about 80% of the electrical energy into mechanical energy, compared to about 30% for ICEVs. Emobility can also enable smart and connected features, such as remote control, diagnostics, navigation, entertainment, and autonomous driving, which can enhance the safety, comfort, and convenience of the users.

The Challenges of Emobility

Emobility is not without its challenges, however, as there are still some barriers and limitations that need to be overcome to achieve a wider adoption and a deeper impact. Some of the main challenges are:

- Infrastructure: Emobility requires a sufficient and reliable network of charging stations, both public and private, to ensure the convenience and accessibility of the users. According to the IEA, there were about 7.3 million chargers worldwide in 2020, of which 6.5 million were private and 0.8 million were public. However, this is still far from the estimated 40 million public chargers that would be needed by 2030 to support the projected growth of EVs. Moreover, the availability and quality of the charging infrastructure vary widely across regions and countries, creating gaps and disparities among the users. Emobility also requires a robust and flexible electricity grid, that can cope with the increased and variable demand from EVs, and integrate the renewable energy sources that are essential for decarbonizing the electricity sector.

- Battery technology: Emobility depends largely on the performance and cost of the batteries that power the EVs and other electric modes of transportation. The main type of battery used for emobility is the lithium-ion battery, which has seen significant improvements in recent years, in terms of energy density, durability, safety, and price. According to Bloomberg, the average battery pack price for EVs dropped from $1,100 per kilowatt-hour (kWh) in 2010 to $137 per kWh in 2020, and is expected to reach $100 per kWh by 2023. However, there are still some challenges and trade-offs involved in the battery technology, such as the limited range, the long charging time, the high weight, the scarce and uneven distribution of the raw materials, the environmental and social impacts of the mining and recycling processes, and the potential fire and explosion risks.

- Consumer acceptance: Emobility also faces some psychological and behavioural barriers from the potential users, who may have doubts, fears, or preferences that affect their decision to switch from conventional to electric modes of transportation. Some of the factors that influence the consumer acceptance of emobility are the awareness, the perception, the attitude, the social norm, the personal value, the habit, the lifestyle, and the trust of the users. Some of the common barriers that prevent or delay the adoption of emobility are the lack of information, the high purchase price, the range anxiety, the charging inconvenience, the performance uncertainty, the safety concern, the aesthetic preference, and the emotional attachment to the ICEVs. Therefore, it is important to address these barriers and to provide incentives and education to the users, to increase their confidence and satisfaction with emobility.

The Future Potential of Emobility

Emobility has a huge potential to transform the transportation sector and to contribute to the global goals of sustainable development and climate action. Emobility can also create new opportunities and benefits for the economy, the society, and the environment, such as:

- Innovation: Emobility can foster innovation and competitiveness in the transportation industry, by creating new markets, products, services, and business models, that can generate value and growth for the stakeholders. Emobility can also stimulate research and development in the fields of battery technology, renewable energy, smart grid, vehicle-to-grid, vehicle-to-everything, and artificial intelligence, that can enhance the performance and efficiency of the electric modes of transportation.

- Integration: Emobility can facilitate the integration and coordination of the different modes of transportation, both electric and non-electric, to create a more seamless and convenient mobility system for the users. Emobility can also enable the integration of the transportation sector with the electricity sector, by using the EVs as distributed energy resources, that can store, supply, and balance the electricity grid, and by using the renewable energy sources as clean and cheap fuel for the EVs.

- Inclusion: Emobility can promote the inclusion and participation of the different segments of the society, especially the low-income and marginalized groups, in the mobility system, by providing them with more affordable, accessible, and reliable options of transportation. Emobility can also reduce the social and environmental inequalities and injustices that are caused by the conventional mobility, such as the exposure to air pollution, the vulnerability to fuel price shocks, and the dependence on foreign oil imports.

Conclusion

Emobility is a promising and exciting trend that is reshaping the transportation sector and the mobility behaviour of the people. Emobility has many advantages over the conventional mobility, but also some challenges that need to be addressed. Emobility has a huge potential to create a more sustainable, efficient, and inclusive mobility system, that can benefit the economy, the society, and the environment. Emobility is not only a technological change, but a cultural and social change, that requires the collaboration and cooperation of all the stakeholders, including the governments, the industry, the academia, the civil society, and the users. Emobility is not only a choice, but a responsibility, that we all have to embrace and support, for the sake of our planet and our future.