The mobility of the future: an exhilarating ecosystem

When we think of “mobility”, and more specifically new mobilities, the first means that stand out are bicycles, scooters —both manual and electric— free-floating rental schemes, and micro-mobility in general. On the more technological side, connected—and above all, autonomous—vehicles spring to mind. These types of mobility: soft, shared, or autonomous, are in line with the times and are often seen in the headlines.

But innovation in mobility is not limited to such subjects, as was reflected at the Vivatech trade show! The mobility sector is hot to the point of bubbling over. Players that were once far removed from the subject now find themselves involved and in a position to respond to certain challenges facing society. While it is difficult to predict the future, one thing is sure: the sector is bustling and will continue to be over the coming years!

Between regions, equipment manufacturers and car makers, the giants of the tech world, energy companies, and of course transport operators, a great many labs hosted startups contributing to or dedicated to mobility! Whereas in the past these players could isolate themselves in the transport sector, nowadays they are working with each other and startups to reinvent mobility. The ongoing changes in that field are often summed up in four words:

To build these four foundations of contemporary mobility, working in isolation is no longer an option. Collaborations up and down the value chain are crucial, whether to take advantage of different technologies, infrastructure and equipment, development models, or operational agility. New mobility solutions must offer a turnkey service to survive in a sector where competition is heating up. Considering the value chain as a whole has become a key factor for success, and a comprehensive service can now only be provided through partnerships.

This is the type of mobility service that more and more players want to provide. “Mobility as a service” (MaaS) means giving the client the means to get from point A to point B, by proposing a route, all the modes of transport necessary for the journey, and a centralized payment system on a single platform. Mobility is now a service that involves multiple providers, and stakeholders are banding together to provide it.

At Vivatech, mobility offered solutions to several major societal challenges through technological innovations and startups: the environment, accessibility, and road safety.

In France, the transport sector is the worst offender in terms of carbon emissions, so thinking about cleaner ways to get around is a significant challenge. The 4^th mobility revolution is well and truly underway.

• ENGIE offers new charging stations to make it easier to charge electric vehicles. These stations have built-in intelligence that lets them manage and above all modulate the delivered power.
• Lilium presented its all-electric “air taxi” that will be “accessible to all”, while Citroën presented two concept cars, including AMI One, an electric vehicle that will be offered in a car-sharing service.

And to ensure accessibility for all?

• Streetco is a collaborative pedestrian GPS that allows users to post alerts about obstacles in a city and so make it easier for people with reduced mobility to get around. Handiplanet is another service that offers travel experiences based on a person’s mobility.

And when the tech4good principle is applied to mobility, the labs were able to come up with new and inventive uses, particularly in relation to road safety.

• One such lab at the RATP stand was Innov+, which presented TOUCANGO, a system that uses facial recognition technology to analyze drowsiness at the wheel and alert the driver.
• Cosmo connected, a small connected light box that clips on to a helmet or a bike. It lights up when the cyclist slows down or turns and connects to the user’s phone to call the emergency services or send a message to someone in the event of an accident.

This is the underlying principle of “Tech4good”, which was prominent at this edition of Vivatech; namely, using technology for the benefit of society.

Smart Flows promises to increase passenger satisfaction in transport hubs by analyzing data flows, thereby paving the way to better passenger information. Open Capacity is a company that uses machine learning to construct predictive models based on the use of public transport.

Machine learning, artificial intelligence, big data… These constitute the classic domains of digital innovation that have a real capacity to capture, optimize, and utilize freely available data—as well as data provided by users—to make recommendations and improve daily journeys for commuters. Yet some of those uses raise a number of ethical questions about the collection and use of data, as well as the choices that can be made by another form of intelligence; the artificial kind. Here we arrive at the conundrum of autonomous vehicles having to make decisions instead of humans.

But improving the travel experience can simply mean listening to clients! Understanding what a user is looking for during a journey, how they are feeling and the different physical and emotional stages they go through, is key to offering them the right service. Alexandre Viros, CEO of OUI.sncf stated that: “Today we know our products much better than our clients. We are working together, through the website but also in our offices, to try to reinvent the client experience.”