“The time is right for a wider choice of affordable personal mobility”

What is the ideal way for the motor sector to prosper in the brave new submit-pandemic planet that just cannot appear a day way too quickly? It has to imagine less about volume manufacturing of highly-priced cars, extra on the layout and create of lesser, skinnier no-frills motor vehicles.

Our wishes, requires and priorities are altering. The time is right for a wider selection of modest, reasonably priced, simply storable private mobility products (PMDs) – for the streets where actual people, younger and aged, match and not so match, truly stay, shop, work or go to university.

It is a provided that journey behaviour in long run will be very unique and considerably minimized – not least due to the fact millions of people proved in the latest weeks that some journeys deemed ‘essential’ weren’t that critical after all. Lots of or most of these non-critical trips by auto and general public transport could never transpire once more. Understandably. If journeys are not required, why waste time, energy and revenue taking them?  

For these and other causes (accident reduction, improving upon air excellent, cutting down the threat of virus spread etcetera) the long run for millions of auto, coach, bus, taxi and airplane end users will surely consist of decrease-mileage property, leisure, research or work lives.

During lockdown, point out-of-the-artwork tech has facilitated anything from digital company, social and Federal government meetings, to on the web lessons, concert events, ‘visits’ to good friends, households, GPs and extra. All this will enhance. And when it does, men and women and enterprises – the greatest purchasers of brand name-new cars – will not need to have to purchase as many of them. For this reason my assertion that automobile manufacturers have to imagine harder about small different motor vehicles for one particular or two people, not just medium-huge cars for five or seven.

The likes of Peugeot, BMW and Honda have proved how proficient they are at manufacturing pedal cycles, two and a few-wheeled devices, quads, in addition other mobility products. Renault’s done its little bit, way too, with its quirky Twizy, and Citroen’s £6k-ish Ami is yet another beneficial move. But rivals need to have to get inventive, way too – with new, reasonably priced motor vehicles of their have. Oh, and simply churning out aged-tech bicycles and scooters will not be fantastic ample.

Qooder is an exceptional case in point of how to do it. The business is operate by former senior auto men from Abarth, and one particular of its products and solutions is formally explained as the only vehicle in the planet with four tilting wheels. While I’m even now not sure if you generate or journey it, I know it is between the most interesting ‘alternatives to the car’ I’ve seen in several years.

At the other finish of the tech scale, just as tuk-tuks, cyclos (a few-man or woman bikes) and in the same way basic transport work brilliantly as affordable possibilities to taxis overseas, they really should do the exact in British cities and cities (not just in the touristy sections of London). So why are not mainstream vehicle manufacturers in the British isles constructing them – in addition equally wacky-but-effective small motor vehicles – in pedal-only, section-electric powered or pure-electric powered guises?

Alternate fuels and electricity packs of all dimensions and selling prices are previously listed here. But we’re even now largely lacking in imaginative, unique breakthrough motor vehicles that do the exact. That is a shame. We urgently need to have them for the brave new, decrease-mileage planet that awaits us.

Do you concur with Mike? Let us know your ideas in the comments segment down below…