In the distant future, your 7-year-old daughter will ride to school on her own in an autonomous car. And you’ll board your own drone to get to work. It’s nice to fantasize about the transport utopia of the future, but we’re not quite there yet. Still, the automotive sector is making great strides in that direction.
Which changes can we expect over the next few years that will have an effect on our mobility policy? We asked five experts from the mobility branch what they expect from the future of mobility in 2025.
Maarten Steinbuch, Professor of Robotics at Eindhoven University of Technology, on electric mobility in 2025:
“By 2025, I expect that electric mobility will be a standard option among all of the car brands, with a wide selection of affordable models with good range. Say around 350 km. There will be a lot of negative pressure on the purchase of fossil fuel-powered vehicles, and manufacturers will have to find creative solutions to persuade customers to buy them. After all, who’s going to want to buy a used petrol car?
We spoke with Carlo van de Weijer, Head of Smart Mobility at Eindhoven University of Technology, on the connected car in 2025:
“The connected car will play an ever-greater role. Many vehicles already collect a lot of data. And that data might be worth as much as the costs of driving the car. That’s a bit of an exaggeration, of course, but the fact is that data is valuable. There’s a reason giants like Apple and Google are investing in this world, because whoever has access to the data can earn big money, and that can make a big difference. But data can only be collected if the cars themselves are connected. Then we can collect data about how someone drives, and how the car is used. Those data will increasingly determine how mobility will be organised in the future, and how cars can be used more intelligently. That will make mobility in the future cheaper, safer, and more efficient.”
Luc van Rooijen, Partner at KPMG, on freedom of mobility in 2025:
“The need for comfort, flexibility, sustainability and affordable mobility will power a rising wave of Mobility-as-a-Service solutions. We will move towards a system that takes the work of mobility issues out of the end user’s hands. I can imagine a future where your smartphone suggests a customised travel recommendation for you in the morning. It won’t matter which mode of transport you own, but rather which specific mobility solutions are perfectly attuned to your own needs and preferences. Sometimes that might be based on price, sometimes on speed, and sometimes on comfort. Your mobility service provider’s data algorithm will know your preferences and travel patterns.
Where things are heading, I won’t own a car anymore; instead, I’ll use a service provider that takes the work out of my hands and offers a mobility solution. I’ll get a card that allows me to use the office’s share car, take the train, bus, or tram, or arrange another form of transportation, and that takes care of the entire payment transaction behind the scenes. So there will be more integration of the parties. The linear value chain will disappear, and there will be much more cross-pollination between different companies from different sectors, in order to meet the ever-more-vital demands of the end user.”
Stefanie Wurst, General Director of BMW Group Netherlands, on electric mobility in 2025:
“In the Netherlands, the EV market will continue to grow, thanks to government measures combined with a larger selection of electric models and charging points. By 2025, we’ll have a suitable electric model for every customer. BMW Group’s model line includes 12 plug-in hybrids and 13 fully electric vehicles. And over the next 24 months, we’ll introduce no less than four of them: the MINI Electric, BMW iX3, BMW i4 and BMW iNEXT. With the latter model, BMW Group has completely re-invented the car. The BMW iNEXT will serve as the building block for the company’s future. This fully battery-powered SAV, with a 700 km+ range, combines all of BMW Group’s ‘ACES’ strategic innovation fields: Autonomous driving, Connectivity, Electrification, and Services.”
Niels Onderwater, Innovation Marketeer at ALD Automotive, on freedom of mobility in 2025:
“Over the next few years, our perspective on mobility will change much more from ownership to use. I truly believe that. In 2025, we’ll consider the situation on the day itself, and we’ll adapt our mobility to meet it. Depending on the traffic situation, the weather, or my appointments, I’ll decide whether to take a (share)car to work, or whether public transport, a bike or an e-bike better suits my needs. There are plenty of apps that can help us decide. We’ll also spend more time thinking about costs versus effectiveness. Should we take the share car for 25 cents per km, and get to our destination quicker? Or would we rather relax in the train and spend an extra 20 minutes getting there, because it costs less per kilometre? I expect that things are heading in that direction, especially in urban areas.”