Smart Mobility APAC

Chinese tech giants Huawei and GAC Group will work together to develop a "smart SUV", aiming to hit the market in mass production by the end of 2023.

Transportation will always remain vital for city dwellers. To meet the daily commuting demands of cities, local governments all over the world have commissioned as well as decommissioned various forms of public transport systems over the years in a bid to streamline traffic congestion. At the center of the public transport system is mid-range transportation, also called mid-tier transit, which includes the metro, bus rapid transit (BRT), light rail transit and monorails.

Taking their smart transport innovation a notch up, Japan is embarking on a noble concept of integrating the existing demand-responsive transport (DRT) system and mobility-as-a-service (MaaS). The testbed for the project will be the city of Nogata in the Fukuoka prefecture. MaaS is gaining prominence as a practical and workable solution for supporting initiative such as the United Nations 17 SDGs goals, specifically SDG 11, which focuses on sustainable cities and communities where transport systems play an important, if not an indispensable role.

Cities can be a key to a net-zero emissions future as digitalisation opens up a range of new opportunities. As per IEA’s Empowering Cities for a Net-Zero future report, urban transport accounts for 4 billion tonnes of CO2-eq, more than 40% of the transport sector’s total emissions. Urban mobility operators and authorities are constantly trying to find ways to make the transition of the transport sector from fossil-fuel to low-carbon modes. They are incorporating technology to integrate transport services that encourage commuters to use their cars less.

Hyundai Motor Company launched a global campaign, ‘Expecting Generation One,’ with the online premiere of a short film, signalling its commitment to fight climate change and achieve carbon neutrality to secure a habitable world for future generations.