Arval Mobility Observatory

The idea of the Human Machine Interface (HMI) is as old as the Industrial Revolution. It describes how humans interact with machines, either through switches, voice commands or any other interactive means. The automobile has seen many iterations of HMI throughout the years. Today, AI assistants and near-holographic displays cohabitate with the traditional pedals, steering wheel and gear-lever that have been present since the first car.

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Data is a key component of Smart Cities; indeed data help cities to improve air quality, safety, security, sustainability and mobility amongst others.

Does the increasing diversity and volume of data available about urban systems open the possibility of  constructing a quantitative 'science of cities', with the aim of identifying and modelling essential phenomena?

That is the question we asked to Marc Barthelemy Research Director at the Institut de Physique Théorique (CEA-Saclay) and Associate member of the Centre d’Analyse et de Mathématique Sociales (EHESS, Paris), about the Science of Cities.

Hydrogen is one of the Universe's most abundant elements. It is also potentially a way to store clean, renewable energy.
Although Hydrogen Fuel Cell technology has existed since 1839, hydrogen still has not achieved widespread popularity.
That may change.

During the crisis, visible positive environmental changes have been highlighted: decrease of greenhouse gas emissions, reduced congestion, and reduction of noise pollution among others.

However, this important crisis has also had an impact on city dwellers’ behaviors and expectations: people clearly expressed their wish for healthier lifestyles, one of them being an interest in active mobility and in particular cycling.
Public actors express this important interest in a more sustainable and greener future too, at different levels: European Commission, Governments and Municipalities.

Governments in the EU and in the UK combine economic stimuli with green policies. Beyond these economic stimuli, it is also a question of infrastructures to ensure dwellers safety.

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The consensus is out: Self-driving cars are going to change the world in incredible ways.
Everyone is sure it is going to happen, but few can say 'when'. First, what is an autonomous vehicle?
What are the hurdles faced by the autonomous future?
And what about autonomous shuttles?

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Today, 58% of the world’s population live in urban areas, a proportion that is forecast to increase to 70 % by 2050. This situation generates a lot of challenges such as air quality concerns, congestion, hours lost in traffic (around 163 hours per driver in Paris in 2019), time that could be  spent doing other activities…. All these concerns are increasingly emphasized after the lockdown period. 
More sustainability, a greener environment in the cities are the strong targets that all urban ecosystem strive for. Public and private actors work together in this direction. In our recent video, we have explained that Mobility as a Service could be one of the solutions.
However, would it be a question of thinking the city not in term of city planning but in term of urban life planning?  That is what the concept of the “15 minute- city” is developing. 

What does it mean?

“The last mile” is a term usually used to describe the final link in the supply chain – when an order makes its way from the distribution centre or a retail location to the end consumer.
Worldwide, city governments are battling against air quality concerns and traffic congestion by creating low emission zones, and implementing vehicle entry and parking restrictions.
Recent global trends, like low transport emissions and the e-commerce boom, have brought last mile logistics to the brink of disruption.

So what is this disruptive change that the last mile is facing?

During the last few years, the number of LCVs has increased with the growth of last mile delivery as ever more shopping is carried out online. This trend has been reinforced during the Covid-19 crisis because of the explosion of online shopping due to the lockdown situation, without mentioning the delivery of services in city centers which require LCV usage.

With this significant increase, the challenges around last mile urban operations are becoming crucial for many companies. Congestion, air quality concerns, LEZ implementation and cost of the last mile are perhaps some of the main issues. However, all of these challenges represent real opportunities for OEMs.

What is the current situation? How are these challenges being managed?

Growing interest for electric vehicles and alternative motility solutions: Arval Mobility Observatory reveals its global Fleet Barometer 2020.