The Curious CASE of Automotive Reinvention
“We can’t change the wind, but we can set the sails differently.” (Aristotle)
Humans have known for years that overconsumption of depletable resources such as fossil fuels and persistent toxic emissions into the atmosphere are driving climate change. So, we did something remarkable.
We sat down and pondered on how we could eliminate these processes or at least abate their ill effects. This is when we diverged towards the path of sustainable living.
Today, world leaders claim that the Sustainability Revolution is poised to be the third most significant social and economic reform in human history – following the Neolithic and Industrial Revolutions.
The ripple effect of the Sustainability Revolution is conspicuous in the automotive industry too. CASE (Connected, Autonomous, Shared, and Electric) is the current buzzword in the industry, resonating across automotive stakeholder conversations and trade show venues.
So, what is the CASE paradigm?
C – Connected and secure future
Modern vehicles are increasingly fortified with electronics and software components. This is the era of Vehicle to Everything (V2X) connectivity – where the vehicle can communicate bidirectionally with connected systems on the outside.
Imagine yourself in a high-end connected car. The technology within the vehicle can enhance your driving experience by streaming informative podcasts, playing your favorite music from your phone, providing you with weather and real-time traffic updates, and assisting you in navigating to your destination.
Connected vehicle technology can aid in reducing environmental impact and carbon footprint.
For example, automotive predictive maintenance solutions keep track of the vehicle’s health and alert the owner of impending issues. This helps them to take precautions even before the issue occurs. In the long term, this helps in minimizing damage to the vehicle and reduces the consumption of new vehicle parts.
A – Autonomous vehicles – Are we there yet?
We are already seeing partial automation in modern vehicles. In partial automation, the vehicle can steer or accelerate independently, but the driver must be engaged at all times.
Let’s consider the example of the latest models of Tesla with their Autopilot system that provides advanced safety and convenience features.
Tesla’s Autopilot enables the vehicle to accelerate, brake, and steer automatically within the same lane. The navigation feature on Autopilot can also suggest lane changes or automatically steer the vehicle towards exits. All this is made possible through advanced sensors and powerful onboard processors.
So, how will autonomous vehicles (AVs) contribute towards sustainable mobility?
Imagine a scenario where transport authorities proactively adopt AVs in fleets to compete with existing public transport and shared mobility services.
This setup will be a promising alternative to individual ownership of vehicles. Since the vehicles are driverless, people with health-related mobility concerns can access key services easily. AV fleets would operate seamlessly and also, present lower operational costs to the service provider due to the absence of drivers.
S – Shared mobility for a shared planet
Shared mobility has opened doors to an offbeat mobility revolution. The modern consumer’s inclination towards a “NO-ownership” lifestyle and growing preference for Pay-per-use mobility service models have led to the popularity of shared mobility.
The bouquet of benefits offered by this form of transportation includes lowered CO2 emissions and free-up of public areas as there is decreased demand for parking spaces.
E – Electric vehicles charting electrifying growth
Over the last 10-15 years, the unabated rise in pollution and the desire to reduce dependency on imported fuel has urged governments around the world to endorse vehicles powered by electric motors.
So, why are electric vehicles better for the environment?
Here are the top 3 reasons:
- To start with, the tailpipe emission in EVs is actually zero! This is in stark contrast to internal combustion engine vehicles that produce a large amount of harmful carbon emissions.
- There is word going around that EV battery manufacturing is harmful to the environment. This was the case when batteries were manufactured irresponsibly. However, this has begun to change in recent years. EV manufacturers are actively setting guidelines so that battery suppliers use only renewable energy sources during production.
- Some electric charging stations are powered by fossil fuels like coal. Despite this, they still produce lower emissions overall.
Although EV technology has improved phenomenally over the last few years, consumers in several countries are not fully on board with this concept. This is primarily due to concerns regarding charging infrastructure, charging time, and driving range.
The advent of new battery technology and charging solutions are countering these perceptions and helping to instill more confidence in electromobility.
Final Thoughts
Cars are becoming far more defined by their embedded electronics, than anything else. Recent mobility trends such as car sharing and urban planning (to incorporate EV charging stations) have introduced a new paradigm of sustainable travel.
However, there is a long way to go before these revolutionary mobility models become mainstream due to their affordability and consumer advocacy across geographies.
–Leya Lakshmanan is a Tech writer (focusing on automotive and IOT) and heads the marketing division at Embitel Technologies, part of the Volkswagen Group Company.
