Transportation as we know it is changing as the world moves towards a cleaner and emissions-free landscape. Electric vehicles are realistic propositions for more people, charge times are tumbling, and ranges are growing. As well as electrifying more traditional vehicles, electric power is changing the way people travel in other ways, too.
From silently hurling people through the sky, to getting you quickly from A to B, we’re on the cusp of an electric revolution, shifting the way we travel not only around the corner, but around the world too.
Leading the charge
Formula E’s teams are pushing the boundaries and driving for a cleaner future, faster with their cutting-edge road-going tech, accelerated by competition in the all-electric steet racing championsip.
Audi’s e-tron SUV, the Porsche Taycan, BMW’s i3, i8 and future i tech, the Mercedes-Benz EQC, NIO’s ES8, ES6, and EC6, the DS3 Crossback E-Tense, the Nissan Leaf, and Jaguar’s I-PACE are all at the cutting edge of battery-electric automotive innovation.
DS’ sister brand, Citroen, has come out with the Ami – a two-seater with a range of 47 miles and a 26 mph top speed. The Ami’s designed not for long cruises by the beach, but for people to get around town silently and quickly. Its doors open in different directions and it looks like some sort of future pod that wouldn’t be out of place in Robocop.
Like the Renault Twizy, it’s not a car but a quadricycle, so people as young as 16 can hop in one to get around. You can buy it outright, in certain markets, but there are rental schemes that go by the month or the mile available to suit different types of driver.
Audi, BMW, and Mercedes-Benz all have a last mile device of some sort, as well. Scooters or e-bikes that you can store in your car that you can take to your final destination after parking up.
BMW, Mercedes, Audi, and Porsche, among others, also had a hand in the IONITY charging network. It provides high speed charging infrastructure all over the continent, so EV drivers can charge quickly and easily. The network is growing fast, too, opening up a wider range of road trip options.
Venturi’s effort to push electric boundaries are stellar as well. Whether it’s by setting land speed records on four wheels with its VBB-3, or on two with an upcoming bike aiming to best the current 329.085mph record, or even by conquering frozen wastes with its two tonne, 25kph, 50km range Antarctic exploration vehicle. Venturi were, and are, pioneers.
Aerospace, rail, automation
In the here and now there are plenty of options to explore in electric mobility, and there’s more to come.
Innovations in our cities have seen an explosion in more sustainable and effective ways for us to get around town, whilst aerospace, rail, automated vehicles and autonomous driving all point the way forward in travel.
Whether its fighting back against the world's climate crisis or reducing the amount of emissions-related health problems, the benefits of electric mobility clear and crucial in turning the tide on human-influenced environmental degredation.
Take a look at the video below to see what’s in the pipeline for the future, and what’s ready in the here and now.