Passenger transportation
Over the past decade, there has been meaningful investment in new technologies, business models, and approaches to getting people where they need to go when they need to get there. These changes have both brought new opportunities and new challenges. This area of study explores the future needs of the passenger transportation sector.
Micromobility and Consumer Choice
Micromobility services, such as scooters, bikes, and e-bikes, continue to proliferate around the world. These vehicles are typically human powered or electric. The growth in the use of these vehicles helps to support our goals of emissions reductions and energy security. Yet, they have also forced cities to grapple with new issues presented by transportation options. For this sub-topic, the Commission will study the following questions:
- How can we best allocate space towards human-sized, electric transportation modes? How can we consider both where these vehicles are operated and parked?
- How should infrastructure investments evolve to meet the needs of these new services?
- How can policy makers help to manage the growth of this industry?
- How should these smaller vehicles be regulated in comparison to traditional vehicles?
Changing business of the auto industry
Changing customer preferences towards shared mobility services will increasingly lead to a shift in ownership from private customers to fleet operators and increase the utilization per vehicle. This sub-topic seeks to explore how the movement from ownership to usership will impact the automotive industry. This study will evaluate the impact of shared mobility business models on new car sales and the global automotive value chain, and seek to answer the following questions:
- How will the maintenance and repair industry be impacted? Will fleet owners outsource most of their maintenance and repair? If so, which sourcing strategies will be preferred?
- Who will be responsible for the frequent washing and turnaround services of the fleet owners? How does the pandemic affect our perception of cleaning vs. sanitization, and consumer preferences towards shared mobility services?
- How will increased adoption of shared mobility services impact global automotive sales and the total size of the global fleet? Will global shipment volumes be positively or negatively affected as vehicle ownership becomes more concentrated around fleet owners?
- What type of digital- and physical services will the fleet owners require from the logistics providers?
- How will end consumer preferences and the increasing shift in ownership to fleet operators affect vehicle design and performance requirements? Will we see an increasing shift towards standardization?
- What are the impacts of ride hail services on auto sales?
21st century transit
Consumer behavior, technology, and shifting commute patterns are causing transit operators to rethink what public transit should look like over the next 100 years. This study will explore:
- What is the value and the role of microtransit and mobility on demand options in the transit system? Micromobility?
- What are the roles of the public and private sectors in delivering highly utilized transit options?
- What is the role of transit in mitigating global climate change? What impact has transit already made?
- What investments will be most valuable for transit over the next 100 years?
- How will the cost structure of transportation change with the introduction of autonomous vehicles?