As the population around the world is increasing rapidly, people are looking for newer and better ways to make the transport system not only effective but also sustainable.
Why Is Air Pollution A Serious Issue For Mobility In Europe?
The need for sustainability emerged when the global CO2 levels reached the ever high and thus started affecting human health. Reports indicate that every ninth death taking place globally is somehow related to air pollution.
The Green Group Transport & Environment wants to play a pivotal role in making electric cars accessible for all because as for now nearly 12% of all the global air pollution is linked to gasoline & diesel vehicles in one way or the other.
Every year approximately 400,000 people die, just in Europe, because of air pollution.
Making EVs More Accessible For Urban Mobility
An essential principle of going green includes making the EVs cheaper and more accessible which is already being taken seriously.
Extra Taxes On Sale Of Gasoline
However, many European governments are not likely to stop just here. Rather they intend to introduce a special carbon tax which will be somewhere around €0.04 per liter.
This figure might seem small but will still serve the purpose of making electric vehicles the more convenient option.
Car Makers Need To Meet The Strict EU Requirements For Sustainable Transport
Cars manufacturers have been ordered by the EU to reduce the emissions to 55% by 2030. They are also bound to bring this level to 100% by 2035 which might be difficult considering the number of cars sold annually and the few years left behind.
Trucks, Lorries & Buses To Go Electric In Future
Trucks, lorries and buses will also follow suit and mechanisms for conversion of these high pollution generating vehicles to the electric platform are already in process. Governments are already devising policies for their electric charging systems.
Easier Said, Than Done
However, it is worth noting that these vehicles need a lot more effort and infrastructure for going electric because of their fuel-guzzling nature.
E-bikes & E-Scooters
The sustainable transport system won’t be feasible unless it adopts a trickle-down approach. Therefore the maximum benefit can be achieved just by reaching the lowest tier of society.
Why Are E-Bikes & E-Scooters The Future?
As not everyone can afford a separate EV and because several people use ride-sharing facilities, it is vital to introduce a mechanism that can be adopted by those who don’t have a lot of money in hand.
Their Benefits Are Multifaceted
This is where the e-scooters and e-bikes jump into the rescue. These bikes and scooters are not only cheaper than the EVs but also offer a load of other benefits such as
– Less populated roads;
– More parking space availability;
– Lower energy requirements to travel each kilometer.
Situation In Europe
Europe is embracing the change and countries such as Netherlands and Demark are already seeing the shift to e-bikes at a pace no one had anticipated before.
It is also important to highlight that the global sales of e-bikes which currently rests at a figure of 3.9 million sales per year will jump up to 17 million by 2030.
Electric Charging Infrastructure – Now & In Future
The infrastructure required for going completely electric is not yet available even in Europe.
There are countries like Netherlands and Norway which have over 40 electric charging stations per 100 km but still, there are others like Greece and Lithuania where the number of electric chargers per 100 km of road is 0.2 for now.
If we need to completely revolutionize the transport segment and wish to make it sustainable, the first thing we should focus on is the electric charging infrastructure.
Final Verdict
While the world is all set to go completely electric, the challenges it might face in the future will be completely different from what we see these days.
Only proper planning and a proactive approach can help us pace up with the growing requirements.
All that most Governments and EV manufacturers want are EV only roads where EV’s can communicate with each other to ensure safe vehicle distances and communicate changing weather and road conditions. EV charging will improve with shorter charging times so these inductive charging lanes will not be necessary. Keep these inductive charging lanes for stationary traffic such as taxi stands and home charging. What will be need to improve navigation during seasonal weather changes will be side of the road navigation beacon’s to aid where telephone and GPS signals can be effected. We are already seeing Motorway rest stops having quick charging stations and that should increase. Back to roads. Better use of water dispersement road technology should be used. Already in roads in the U.K. they have on major Motorway routes this technology where the road surface disperse large the water quicker and the tyre (tire) noise is greatly reduced. Potential we should see with self driving vehicles and improved road infrastructure a much safer driving environment. 👍