Abstract
ABSTRACTThree distinct trends have emerged that have disrupted the dominance of privately owned, combustion-powered car transport in the United Kingdom. First, the electric powertrain has emerged as an affordable means of transport, addressing various existing environmental concerns; second, new models of car ownership are developing, particularly in urban areas; third, the growth of “smart city” thinking emphasizes capitalizing on increased connectivity and data availability to create value. We define the combination of these three trends as the “tri-opt” of private transport—three disruptors that should not be considered in isolation but as interacting, an inflection of the “Energy Trilemma.” This paper applies systems thinking and a mixed methodology of workshops, interviews, and systems modeling to the UK city of Bristol’s Smart EV Transport Hub project to identify concepts that positively combine two or more of these three “opts.” We demonstrate that there are many synergistic overlaps and that combinations potentially create significant value, with use cases that the current literature has explored the least are of the greatest perceived value. We thus recommend that public–private sector collaboration in private transport—particularly at the intersection of electric vehicles, smart cities, and mobility-as-a-service—is prioritized for further investigation.
Highlights
Problem SpaceThere is a growing research and policy consensus that the prevailing private transport paradigm of developed nations has a finite lifespan: a mobility culture focused primarily on privately owned internal combustion engine (ICE) automobiles is unlikely to survive the 30 years in its current form, in the face of economic, social, and environmental pressures (Black et al, 2016; Lerner, 2011; Van Audenhove et al, 2014)
The electric powertrain has emerged as an affordable means of transport, addressing various existing environmental concerns; second, new models of car ownership are developing, in urban areas; third, the growth of “smart city” thinking emphasizes capitalizing on increased connectivity and data availability to create value
“Mobility-as-a-Service” has grown to be a concept that is recognized in modern transport dialogues (Transport Systems Catapult, 2016). It is best defined as a transition from a paradigm under which mobility functionality is accessed through purchasing a product, to a paradigm where mobility functionality is the outcome of a service moving users from one location to another, disassociated from any requirement for asset ownership, and typically arranged on a journey-by-journey basis
Summary
There is a growing research and policy consensus that the prevailing private transport paradigm of developed nations has a finite lifespan: a mobility culture focused primarily on privately owned internal combustion engine (ICE) automobiles is unlikely to survive the 30 years in its current form, in the face of economic, social, and environmental pressures (Black et al, 2016; Lerner, 2011; Van Audenhove et al, 2014). Discussions increasingly refer to data as a raw material (sometimes going so far as to describe it as an emerging fifth “utility”), creating the notion that data can and should be used as a primary input to a business model (Arup, The Climate Group, Accenture and Horizon, University of Nottingham, 2011) This may involve aggregating or integrating data across traditional “silos” (Shapiro, 2006; Tsoukalas, 2008). New Ownership Models “Mobility-as-a-Service” has grown to be a concept that is recognized in modern transport dialogues (Transport Systems Catapult, 2016) It is best defined as a transition from a paradigm under which mobility functionality is accessed through purchasing a product, to a paradigm where mobility functionality is the outcome of a service moving users from one location to another, disassociated from any requirement for asset ownership, and typically arranged on a journey-by-journey basis. Value to all stakeholders within the system boundary will be considered; in this case the UK city of Bristol
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