Strengthening Pillars For Automobile Transport In 2030

Strengthening Pillars For Automobile Transport In 2030

INTRODUCTION

The transportation ecosystem is undergoing a paradigm shift and will impact our daily lives. In this light, it is important to note a few things. In India, rapidly growing urban population (590 mn by 2030) and zooming motorisation rate (400 % increase in 15 years) is making city commute unfriendly. Globally, commuters waste 1 bn+ hr every year, waiting in traffic. Road accidents claim over 4,000 lives every day around the world, and over 2050 mn are disabled or injured every year. Every year 0.3 mn people die of air pollution caused by automobiles in India. A few major cities in India boast of 100 cars per 1,000 people – claiming public spaces, congesting roads, and reducing pedestrian safety, while in over 70% of the major cities, the disparity in the demand and supply of public transportation is expanding. At present, we have 230 buses for a population of one million, whereas the requirement is for 600 buses per million people. Clearly, we need to find a better answer to these problems.

WE HAVE TECHNOLOGY COMING TO THE RESCUE

We saw an increase in the adoption of hybrid vehicles and various attempts at promoting electric vehicles (EVs), promising a cleaner and greener planet. Close to one million EVs were built worldwide in 2016. Cities are building energy storage infrastructure that will enable larger adoption of EVs. Smartphone ownership in India is expected to cross 500 mn in 2018, which will equip people with several mobility use cases. The 5G rollout is expected in a couple of years, which will usher new ways of computing and cloud applications. Vision systems and safety features such as driver assistance systems that avert accidents have seen large adoption in the last three to five years. We are expected to have autonomous vehicles in the next three to five years.