Description

The adoption of electro-mobility solutions is having a profound impact on the way that cities and governments think and plan. The need to reduce emissions and congestion in modern cities is critical to realise the benefits of "future cities" which are premised as the ideal urban environments. The study takes a high-level look into the major elements contributing toward the creation of future cities and discusses how various electro-mobility solutions are facilitating this transition.

The study looks into which electro-mobility solutions are being developed and how they benefit users as well as cities. The focus remains on electric vehicles which have progressed significantly over the past decade and are driving the major changes in city transport infrastructure. Findings suggest that policy and incentives are the fundamental driving force of growth within the electric vehicle sector, with countries such as Denmark and China leading the transition in adoption of electric vehicles.

The research also discusses alternative transport modes which are contributing toward the reduction of emissions and congestion in cities, such as side-walk escalators and cable cars. Interesting insights include new technologies and their uses, such as the testing of electric helicopters, drones and hybrid marine craft.

To introduce the reader to international best practices and how cityscapes are changing, city examples such as Rio and Hong Kong are discussed. These cities, most notably Hong Kong are used as benchmarks in the advancement of cities through modern modes of transport and how business models are implemented to generate sustainable returns.

The focal point of the study remains the examination of how African cities have and continue to adopt electro-mobility solutions to overcome many of the challenges seen on the continent. The city of Cape Town remains the leader in electro-mobility solutions which has adopted a number of solutions to limit the ill-effects of urbanisation. Although progress is being made in the city, significant measures are required to raise progress to the level seen in Western economies. The same may be said of the other cities including Addis Ababa, Kigali, Lagos, Marrakesh, Cairo, and Saint Dennis.

A number of challenges such as a lack of funding, out-dated government policy and the poor state of infrastructure limit the adoption of advance electro-mobility solutions in Africa. A number of companies and start-ups are determined to make a difference in the continent by speeding up transition to a greener transport space. The study provides a brief summary of the companies generating waves in the sector.