As Mobility-as-a-Service continues to level in popularity, usership is usurping ownership and business customers and the public alike are seeking the right means of mobility for their immediate situation. When available, this will incorporate autonomous vehicles, so people can travel to where they need to be quickly, whilst carrying out necessary tasks on the journey.
Autonomous vehicles will first, however, have to navigate public perceptions of danger and have legal and insurance matters clarified. In its infancy, scepticism prevented confidence in air travel, but most of us now embark on aeroplane journeys without alarm, so this new proposition is certainly not pie in the sky.
In terms of developing technology, connected cars are already on our roads, with smart tech in place to share data, making journeys and businesses more efficient and travelling by road, at least in theory, safer. That’s not to say we’re anywhere near the peak of connected travel yet, with a Tesla driver deciding to move into the passenger seat on the motorway earlier this year, there remains the need for common sense whilst this develops from concept to daily reality.
The technology being built into connected cars is one thing, but we will need to oversee the rolling out of smart roads, creating benefits including intelligent road markings, highways that can charge electric vehicles and the facility to send real-time information to alleviate congestion and accidents. Whilst technology is thriving in most aspects of life – and certainly mobility – roads remain fairly basic entities for the time being.
In his recent Budget, the Chancellor referenced the importance of technology and infrastructure for the UK to be able to handle change over the coming decades, but little detail has been shared or committed to, that would inspire confidence in these developments becoming a reality anytime soon. Significant investment will be required to ensure autonomous or connected cars and smart roads are working together in a safe and efficient manner.
That said, we were in this position with regards to electric vehicles (EVs) not too long ago but with moves – albeit not comprehensive ones – towards a cleaner future, at Nexus we are now seeing a significant increase in demand for EVs, so it would be folly to dismiss the proposition of automation out of hand.
Even if the reality of genuine autonomy is unlikely to manifest itself until the latter stages of the 21st century, the importance and value of technology is still paramount to business operations and will only play an increasing role in the growth and success of enterprise as time rolls on.
Technology will change the face of logistics, be it through autonomous delivery vehicles carrying out operations during the night or the introduction of electric waste management vehicles – something we are seeing a growing demand for, making the industry cleaner, more efficient and more productive.
Our technology is already helping clients to do this, highlighting areas of inefficiency and automatically choosing the most cost-effective solution. This type of consultancy adds significant value and can see firms forge trusting relationships, leading to longer-term business interaction and satisfaction.
It is now simply a matter of time before these industry developments come to fruition. The speed of this will largely depend on how serious the government is about the promises it has made on improving the nation’s infrastructure. And when these progressive vehicle technologies become readily available, our technology means we’ll be at the head of the queue, facilitating business needs and keeping the nation mobile in these changing times.
Categorised in: Company Updates
This post was written by Helen Wakefield
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