The Brief / Mobility COMMENT
Moving forward... ILLUSTRATION: GETTY IMAGES/WORAYUTH KAMONSUWAN
... sustainable transportation is going to be integral to cities down the road
C
ities are home to businesses, entertainment, policymakers and billions of citizens who thrive in the vibrant and dynamic urban environment. Despite the global pandemic, their growth has not slowed, and they continue to move rapidly toward the future. There are significant opportunities and challenges, which come with the evolution of cities across the societies and communities that live in them. One of the key opportunities is transportation, which also comes with many challenges. The transportation sector is undergoing an enormous transition as nations actively seek strategies to operate more sustainably. A core aspect of sustainable living in an urban environment is efficient transportation. With the rate of urbanisation ramping up, the demand for more sustainable and carbon-neutral options for mobility is also increasing. Modern mobility infrastructure must operate efficiently while minimising downtime and total ownership cost to reduce greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions. A CARBON-NEUTRAL FUTURE
roads by 2030. This is a massive 30-fold increase from that of today. More than one million electric buses are expected to be introduced across five continents. It is forecast that by 2030, the electricity required to power these electric vehicles (EVs) will exceed 500 TerawattHour (TWh). By 2040, EVs will comprise close to ten per cent of the global energy demand. A carbon-neutral society requires more than filling cities with EVs. To accommodate these changes in the world’s energy systems and achieve the vision of sustainable cities, the world’s energy systems need to keep up with this rapid evolution. Installing energy systems that can serve as the backbone for future cities while simultaneously keeping costs affordable is crucial for success.
OVER 100 MILLION ELECTRIC CARS
PROJECTED TO BE ON ROADS BY 2030
Over 100 million electric cars are projected to be on 14
November 2022
gulfbusiness.com