What Innovation Should Shape Transportation in the Future?
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Traffic of all kinds in Shanghai (Photograph by bricoleurbanism/Flickr)
PUBLISHED MAY 13, 2014
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omorrow's drivers will be quite different from the motorists who are crowding highways today.
Young
people are driving less than teens did a generation ago, and they are
delaying getting drivers' licenses, a number of recent studies have
confirmed. (See related story: "Four Theories Why Teens Drive Less Today.")
Researchers
have different theories for reasons behind this generational shift: Is
it a preference for screen time instead of time behind the wheel? Have
the costs of vehicles and fuel soared too high for teen budgets? Are
they less into ownership and more into sharing?
Do
young people care more about the environment than their forebears? Or
do they just want to avoid being caught in traffic jams? Are they
waiting for technology breakthroughs that would completely revolutionize transportation?
Whatever
the explanation, new attitudes on mobility already are beginning to
curb the trajectory of energy use in the industrialized world. If
nations better understood what is driving the change, perhaps they could
do more to influence trends in developing nations where transportation
energy use is continuing to grow rapidly. (See related: "Driving the Limit: Wealthy Nations Maxed Out on Travel?")
For
today's young people, what do you think is the most important
innovation in mobility for shaping transportation of the future? Rate
the ideas below and share your thoughts in the comments. Also see how students at Shell Eco-marathon in Houston answered the question recently.-
More fuel-efficient vehicles
Car manufacturers are already working on a number of ways to boost the mileage of even regular combustion engines, even as electric cars gain a foothold. The average fuel economy for a new car in the United States, for example, has more than doubled since the 1970s, and will continue to increase. -
Better and more widespread mass transit
Roadway occupancy levels could increase sixfold in some countries, according to the International Energy Agency (IEA). Cities around the world are working on solutions that include bus rapid transit, rail, and cable cars. -
Car sharing and ride sharing
As the popularity of car sharing services and ride-sharing networks increases, the prospect of owning and maintaining a personal vehicle may become less appealing. -
Driverless cars and other high-tech mobility solutions
The future might hold a transport innovation that does not yet seem practical: driverless cars that operate more efficiently that those driven by humans, for example, or Tesla founder Elon Musk's Hyperloop concept. -
Bicycles and electric bikes
As cities adopt bike-sharing programs and urban planners develop spaces with cyclists in mind, this mode of transport could prove to be more popular than battling gridlock and searching for parking spaces in the world's major urban areas.
