Towards a Sustainable Future, 07-08 September 2022
This analysis brings to focus insights from the panel discussions conducted at the analyst's two-day Intelligent Mobility virtual event held in September 2022. These include speeches from thought leaders from the analyst's Mobility practice area and a host of other companies, such as Nissan, Foxconn, ZF, Navya, and so on. The entire workshop revolved around analyzing new use cases, pricing, and business models for new mobility solutions.
Research Highlights
There were four themes under which panel discussion happened:
- What should be done to achieve the carbon-neutrality vision?
- Who is winning the tug of war between car makers and IT giants?
- Roadmap to 2030 - vision of commercial trucking
- Future of mobility - mobility trends when metaverse becomes all pervasive
Thought leaders from various automotive industries spoke on the topics and discussed solutions.
- What should be the leading quest for carbon neutrality?
- What are some of the potential challenges in terms of the adoption of these technologies in the automotive value chain?
- What are some of the key trends in terms of cost structure, economics, and efforts to speed up the transition through dedicated platforms?
- How would you describe software-defined vehicles (SDVs) and how does your company see it?
- What about new entrants in automotive? Is it all about opportunities or are there threats for them as well?
- How do you see fleets adapting to the new business model being built around electric trucks?
- From an R&D and engineering standpoint, what is your view on autonomous vehicle development?
- How has the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped mobility demand for customers?
- Technology can help address one of the biggest questions that mobility service providers have - how does one ensure maximum utilization? How can they provide an effective and profitable service?
Table of Contents
1. Panel Discussion: How Can We Achieve Carbon Neutrality?
- Who should be leading the quest for carbon neutrality?
- Regulatory imperatives have compelled fleets to decarbonize. Do other stakeholders need to decarbonize, or do OEMs still need other players to step up and participate?
- Information and transparency on the location of assets and their application will be key in the transition to electromobility. What will be technology and data’s role in this decarbonization mission?
- Although technology is very powerful, information overload is a concern. How can we address challenges by coming up with and successfully executing the right ideas and breakthroughs?
- China has led vehicle electrification in the past 10 years. The European Union proposes banning ICE-powered vehicles by 2035. How is this transition unfolding in different regions, and what are the requirements to advance this agenda?
- Vehicle transition has associated costs. What are some of the potential challenges of these new technologies’ adoption? Will society have to make some sacrifices, or can we smoothly transition to EVs?
- How can one objectively demonstrate to consumers that EVs do not need to be expensive? A battery-associated cost structure, which is an EV’s biggest cost component, exists.
- What are some of the key trends in cost structure, economics, and efforts to accelerate the transition via dedicated platforms?
- What is the role of AI and ML in providing clearer information to consumers and addressing some of their concerns?
- Traditionally, the automotive industry has been about desirability, emotions, and passion. Today’s younger generation buying vehicles in the next 10 years does not have these attachments. Will this generation want to own a car or just access a vehicle?
- How will the battle between legacy OEMs and new players play out? If commodization of this technology increases, will the Apple-Foxconn model migrate to the vehicle industry? What will happen as the new generation is more open to experimentation and has a greater lack of brand attachment?
- Will current trends continue to accelerate, or will social, political, and geopolitical challenges lead to developmental stagnation during the next decade?
2. Panel Discussion: Who is Winning the Tug-of-War Between Car Makers and Information Technology (IT) Giants?
- How would you and your company describe SDVs?
- Who is driving this trend: OEMS, Tier I, Tier 0.5, and IT companies or disruptors that have nothing to do with mobility and IT?
- End customers are driving the SDV trend but often do not know what they want or do not see the conversion of their needs to product features. Are IT giants driving SDV development in this case?
- At this starting stage, what is the most compelling value proposition that SDVs offer across different segments - to users, companies about to launch, and potential investors?
- Will a highly customizable car become the consumer’s value proposition?
- Beyond the value proposition, how will SDVs impact the value chain? Who will be the winners and losers?
- What should OEMs, Tier I, start-ups, and IT giants do in terms of attitude or capability development vis-a-vis SDVs?
- What threats will well-entrenched OEMs, Tier I, and fleet and logistics companies face?
- Do new entrants only have opportunities or do they face threats as well?
- How will SDVs develop by 2030?
3. Panel Discussion: Roadmap to 2030 Vision of Commercial Trucking
- Opportunities exist for new platforms and business models, such as Trucking-as-a-Service (TaaS). Volta Trucks will base its business strategy, not only on truck sales but on offering its vehicles according to the TaaS model.
- How do you see fleets adapting to the new, electric truck-based business model?
- What role does the powertrain evolution play in this vision? Does TaaS have to be an EV, or are fuel cells an option?
- What developments do you see in emerging markets, such as India and APAC, to decarbonize the commercial vehicle (CV) trucking sector?
- Refueling and charging stations are key requirements for overcoming range anxiety and boosting electromobility adoption. How many OEMs are collaborating to develop charging infrastructure for zero-emission trucking, especially in Europe?
- What is your view on the fast rollout of electric charging and refueling infrastructure to support the overall sales growth of zero-emission trucks?
- How do you see the market for charging and refueling zero-emission trucks, especially in emerging markets, such as India?
- As the industry transitions to zero-energy emissions vehicles, do you expect autonomous trucking to be powertrain-agnostic?
- From an R&D and engineering standpoint, what is your view on AV development?
- Does the current technology transition to connected, autonomous, and zero-emission trucks create opportunities for traditional players or for newcomers and start-ups?
- Conclusion
4. Panel Discussion: Future of Mobility - Mobility Trends When Metaverse Becomes All-Pervasive
- How has the COVID-19 pandemic reshaped mobility demand for customers? Did a dramatic shift in customer usage of car sharing occur in the past 2 or 3 years?
- Vulog has provided considerable technology to mobility modes, such as car sharing. What has been the trajectory in Europe, where the company mostly operates, and in other parts of the world?
- Will other factors, such as the vehicle supply chain, drive the shift? Will the change be permanent, or will demand potentially taper off? Will the use of shared mobility modes for short and long trips remain in the next 3 to 5 years?
- Within the micromobility ecosystem, companies, including Gogoro, have been a huge part of the shift. What has the experience been like for the organization?
- The impetus for autonomous mobility has increased in the last year, and a greater understanding of its benefits for the market has emerged. Has a change occurred, and how will the change evolve?
- A new mobility mode, particularly autonomous, requires a push from cities and support from the public sector - in terms of regulations, infrastructure investment, or promoting stakeholder collaboration - to drive major change. How has this support changed in the last few years?
- Cities will be triggers for autonomous mobility in the long term and for shared mobility solutions in the near term. Does support for micromobility, at least in Taipei, exist in the form of contracting or subsidies?
- Is this push happening in other parts of the world as well? How are cities responding? Do cities recognize and support the permanent shift in mobility patterns and plan to move away from private cars in a significant way, or is this market still nascent?
- Is the public-private collaboration critical to success?
- Technology can help address one of mobility service providers’ biggest challenges, which is to maximize utilization while providing an effective, profitable service. How will technology evolve, and what big disruptions will emerge in the market next?
- Profitability is pertinent. How is profit playing out in micromobility, and where will growth come from beyond Southeast Asia?
- Where will most of the commuter miles come from to increase market penetration? Will substitution occur with primarily private cars or public transportation trips?
- When discussing new use cases for autonomous shuttles, is the evolving trend for shuttles to fill the gaps in last-mile connectivity and take people to transport hubs? What other modes of transport and trips will shuttles replace in cities?
- What will the market look like in 2030 and beyond?
5. Your Next Steps
- Why Now?
Companies Mentioned (Partial List)
A selection of companies mentioned in this report includes, but is not limited to:
- Apple
- Foxconn
- Gogoro
- Navya
- Nissan
- Vulog
- ZF