Smart Mobility Is About More Than Technology

Every European citizen spends on average one hour per day commuting, and allocates to transportation as much as 13% of the total family budget. In addition, about one third of total energy consumption is attributable to transportation and, contrary to what happened in all other sectors of the European economy, between 1990 and 2016, the climate-altering emissions caused by EU transport sector increased by 25%.

Considering these preliminary data, the importance of public initiatives and corporate strategies by forward-looking companies to promote smart mobility cannot be overstated. Local and central government policies and business decisions are targeting a significant increase in the efficiency of the existing transport system, through the introduction of digital technologies which enable to a better functional, organizational, and commercial integration between the different modes of transport, as well as spread the use of electric cars and alternative fuels capable of reducing the environmental impact of the industry.

Among the objectives of the policies promoting smart mobility to be developed in metropolitan areas, where the main problems related to traffic congestion, road accidents and poor air quality are concentrated, there are also those some that are generally overlooked. A few of these are of particular importance in the Italian context, especially pointing to a better use of public land by reducing the space devoted to the non-operational parking of private vehicles, and increasing the space for public uses that favor greater social inclusion. In fact, mobility plays a significant role in either aggravating or attenuating inequality and the exclusion of vulnerable and disadvantaged groups, since it affects their access to basic services, as well as employment and social relations. It is also likely that the adverse effects of the transport system in terms of urban environment, safety and public health will be disproportionately borne by disadvantaged groups.

So which policy tools can support societal evolution towards smart mobility?
In the economic literature, there are endless suggestions about overcoming regulatory barriers that limit innovation in the industry, such as the restrictions imposed on new players like Uber, which in Italy can only operate in a very limited way, and favoring the introduction of commercial innovations that simplify access to public transport, such as, for example, contactless credit-card ticketing systems or mobile payment apps capable of managing a multimodal offer of transportation.

However, there are two key outstanding issues, one relating to method, the other to technology. The former is about the need for a closer partnership between the public and private sectors for the development of an open business environment that makes all the various tiles composing smart mobility fall into place. The second is about electrification of transportation. In fact, electric mobility not only meets the low-emissions requirements needed to combat climate change, but also increases energy efficiency, thanks to the better performance of the electric engine with respect to existing propulsion systems based on the internal combustion engine. The combustion engine, when measured according to the approach named W2W (Wheel-to-Wheel), has an energy efficiency of 17-19%, while the electric motor now attains a value of 36%. With the increase of the role of renewables in national electricity production (today around 40%), and the development of vehicle-to-grid technologies, the efficiency of electric cars can only progress, especially in urban areas. In fact, in addition to the maturity of the technologies involved, the development and growth of smart mobility will also depend on the adoption of new and more sustainable lifestyles by residents, higher environmental awareness on the part of consumers and institutions, and stronger willingness to share cars, bicycles, and urban space on the part of city users.