Mobility is changing. And it does so at a dizzying pace to adapt to the new needs of citizens and a new urbanism that is friendlier to light vehicles. And, of course, to respond to the climate emergency that calls for forms of displacement with fewer emissions. All the innovations to respond to these needs come together at the eMobility Expo World Congress, the innovation event for the electrified, autonomous, connected and sustainable mobility industry. It will be in Valencia from March 21 to 23, 2023 and will have more than 340 experts from around the world from companies such as Airbus, Toyota, Ford, IBM, Endesa or EDP.
Until not so long ago, moving quickly and comfortably, and reducing carbon emissions seemed incompatible concepts. In fact, currently the emissions generated by the mobility and transport sector account for 25% of the total greenhouse gas emissions in the European Union. However, there are more and more sustainable, agile, safe, connected, autonomous and comfortable mobility alternatives.
The mobility sector thus responds to the objective of the European Commission to reduce its net emissions of greenhouse gases by 2030 by 55% (the famous Fit for 55). “The challenges for the mobility industry are very big and ambitious. The sector must transform towards a more sustainable, connected and autonomous mobility. With eMobility Expo World Congress we will offer a comprehensive and holistic platform for the mobility of people and goods to help transform the sector in the coming years”, says Sandra Infante, director of the eMobility Expo World Congress.
At eMobility Expo World Congress you will be able to see the latest micromobility, urban mobility, automotive, naval, rail and air transport solutions. Without forgetting the needs for logistics, transport infrastructure, new sources of energy and fuel, batteries and distribution systems, as well as the latest technologies to promote intermodality and safety in transport.
The eMobility Startup Forum will become the showcase where more than 400 startups from all over the world will show the most innovative, technological and sustainable projects for the mobility industry. As a way of recognizing and giving visibility to those companies committed to research and innovation, the eMobility Innovation World Awards will reward everything from solutions and technologies that are defining the new era of sustainable mobility, to experiences and research that provide innovative solutions to challenges energy efficiency, connectivity, security, adaptation of cities and infrastructures.
The new mobility has become an attractive investment focus that generates wealth and creates quality employment. The geopolitical board is struggling to attract construction projects for new factories for electric vehicles, batteries or factories for the generation of new fuels, such as hydrogen, to their territories. A good example of the success of these efforts is the installation of a gigafactory of batteries, or the manufacture of Ford’s European electric vehicles, in Valencia, or the ‘Electromobility Hub’ in the old Nissan factory in Catalonia.
Making a play on words, it can be affirmed that the political leaders are moving towards the new mobility. The Strategic Project for the Recovery and Economic Transformation of the Electric and Connected Vehicle (PERTE VEC) will focus some of the forums between delegates from the different autonomous communities, investors and representatives of the private industry. Sessions that will take place within the framework of Governments
Sustainable propulsion systems, led by hydrogen, are another of the most interesting alternatives at the eMobility World Congress. A clear example of a project in this sense is the Hydrogen Cluster launched by BP, in alliance with Iberdrola, to produce around 31,200 tons of green hydrogen per year and 400,000 tons of biofuel at the Castellón refinery. An initiative that has an investment of more than 2,000 million euros.
Land transport plays at a disadvantage compared to air transport when it comes to speed. But the rules of the game could be about to change. Companies like Zeleros or Hyperloop Transportation Technologies (HTT) are already working on the development of scalable hyperloops. This technology implants a kind of giant pipes like those in the Futurama series through which land vehicles move at top speeds of up to 1,000-1,200 kilometers per hour. Of course, safe and with 0 carbon emissions.
At the CIOs Summit forum, the objective is not so much speed, but efficiency for autonomous and connected mobility. Paula Carsi, Ford’s European Director of Innovation, will address the use of artificial intelligence in transport planning, route optimization and fleet management. Rushab Shah, Digital Strategy Lead Emerging Mobility at Ricardo, will analyze precisely how new digital tools can accelerate the decarbonisation of mobility.
Electric scooters have become one more vehicle within cities. Aware of its importance in decongesting traffic and alleviating the problem of pollution in large cities, city councils promote shared electric micro-mobility, to which electric bicycles and cars are added. “In line with the designs of the European Union to achieve climate neutrality in 2050, eMobility Expo World Congress will be a showcase for the presentation of all those success stories that will respond to the challenges of the industry in terms of sustainability and digitization”, says Sandra Infante, director of eMobility Expo World Congress.
Among these challenges is how to regulate the safe coexistence between traditional vehicles and the new micromobility. For them, the implementation of new solutions will be analyzed, such as geofencing, a system that allows limiting scooter speeds in specific areas, or real-time tracking to monitor scooter use.
But they are not the only vehicles called to circulate through our cities. New technologies already allow the logistics sector to use drones and robots in last-mile delivery, or the use of driverless electric vans. One of the highlights of the congress will be to check the current status and future potential of eVTOL technology (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicle), the electric aircraft destined to revolutionize the transport of goods. Leaders of this technology will delve into the technical aspects, the challenges in electric propulsion, regulatory challenges and benefits of autonomous eVTOLs in terms of safety, efficiency and profitability.
