Mobility for a better world — turning common challenges into opportunities for all
In the digital age, more mobility means less traffic. We experience a historical turning point that literally moves us. Driven by the megatrends of electrification, automation, and connectivity, our own mobility behavior is becoming more and more intermodal and multi-mobile — and changes every day anew. We are moving ever more digital, shared, networked and sustainable.
For some time now, this has no longer been exclusively a matter of forms of propulsion or the use of means of transport — new energies, intelligent transport systems, car-to-car communication, and smart transport systems in interaction with future technologies such as artificial intelligence (AI) or blockchain determine our short and long trips from A to B.
With our ideas competition “Mobility for better world” (application deadline 31 August 2019), we want to tread new paths together and search for concepts for a better tomorrow in four categories — on and off the roads, in and around the car. Regardless of their level of maturity, start-ups, students and developers can submit their ideas here and win a total of 20,000 euros in prize money, educational packages and a development grant in cooperation with the Porsche Digital Lab and the early-stage accelerator APX.
It is particularly important to us to assume long-term and sustainable responsibility. Not just for the vehicle, but for sporty mobility in general. For us, this includes strategic thoughts and courageous ideas in the four central fields of “People”, “Cities”, “Wheels” and “Trust”:
“PEOPLE” — Mobility as a basic need
Mobility is a basic human need. It is an element of freedom, an expression of self-determination and individual flexibility. We have a goal and, today, we are free to decide how and when we want to achieve it. We move through the city, the country, the region and are at the same time an elementary part of a global mobility change. More and more, we are breaking through our previous routines and thus completely rediscover our own needs for mobility.
Increasing individualization is driving new mobility concepts, which are becoming more and more digital and therefore more complex for some. But technological innovations alone are not enough to solve long-term mobility problems. Digitization must also be accepted by people. It must create freedom, satisfy individual needs and be equally accessible to all. Whether it’s your own vehicle, car or bike-sharing, taxi apps or barrier-free access to the subway — changes can only come about through the interaction of social and individual needs, social behavior, urban and infrastructure planning as well as technological innovations. With people at the heart of it.
Submit ideas for the category “People” now!
“TRUST” — meaningful technologies
When we talk about the mobility of the future, smart technologies are often mentioned in the same breath. After all, digital transformation is an essential driver of change. At top speed. So we have to ask ourselves: Do mobility and technology companies take their responsibility seriously enough to turn challenges into opportunities for a good and sustainable mobility approach? We call this the meaningful use of technology.
The MIT scientist, social critic and first Chatbot developer Joseph Weizenbaum called already in 1996 for the introduction of “ethical thinking” in the (further) development of technologies. This demand is now more relevant than ever. AI applications are found in navigation systems in our vehicles and in smartphones, whose apps we network with mobility solutions from services of all kinds. Algorithms make suggestions for flights, the best route through the city or the nearest vehicle available. But all this is just the beginning — AI will help us fight diseases and poverty, make better use of resources or minimize environmental risks — and enable sustainable mobility. As an automotive manufacturer, we must, therefore, ask ourselves: How can we use the advantages of technology without giving up the protection of privacy? How do we avoid losing control over ever more intelligent and powerful machines? How do we promote people’s trust in technologies?
Submit ideas for the category “Trust” now!
“CITIES” — the millennium of cities
Humanity enters into a so-called “millennium of cities”: Already in 2009, half of the population lived in cities. By 2050, it will be 70–75 percent of the people. Cities are centers of knowledge, trade, and innovation — they embody the complexity of modern society. In addition, urban growth is often associated with economic success. OECD studies show that doubling the population increases the productivity level of a city by two to five percent. However, as the size and population of cities increases, so do the challenges: Lack of affordable housing, congestion, air, and environmental pollution are just some of the problems that more and more cities face. And yet cities are also part of the solution.
But what does mobility look like in sustainable cities? Metropolises are increasingly adopting intelligent solutions that contribute to the reduction of greenhouse gas emissions. Singapore and Copenhagen, for example, have created well-functioning mobility systems that meet people’s needs. Infrastructure improvements have helped to reduce congestion and make road and transport systems more efficient. New business models are also blurring the boundaries between private, shared and public transport — and multimodal services are opening up new opportunities for mobility. But where does this journey lead us?
Submit ideas for the category “Cities” now!
“WHEELS” — being mobile, not only by car
Mobility without wheels? At the present time, in a country like Germany, this is hardly imaginable. True to the motto “New Wheels in the City”, bike-sharing providers, electric scooters, ridesharing services and our own vehicles flood our cities and streets.
But for us, mobility for all means more — more chances. Innovations and courageous ideas should by no means stop at established models such as public transport, buses or trams. Electromobility and technology will not only shape the sports car of tomorrow but will also enable all other means of transportation with wheels and thus the mobility of the future for all people — regardless of their age or physical abilities. A wheelchair that can be transported into the trunk on its own or climbs stairs on its own? Yes, absolutely!
Submit ideas for the category “Wheels” now!
Wanted: Ideas at the interface between mobility, sustainability, and technology
In order to shape the future of sporty mobility, we want to take responsibility, together. We focus on cooperation instead of mere coexistence. With our “Mobility for a better world” ideas competition, we want to further strengthen this approach and ask ourselves what the mobility of the future will look like at the interface between sustainability and technology.
We are looking forward to exciting ideas that can make our tomorrow a little better. For the environment, for people and their habitats.
The most important facts about “Mobility for a better world”
Registration deadline: 31 August 2019
Conditions: Participation from the age of 18, either as a team or as an individual (terms and conditions)
Partners: CODE University Berlin, APX — the accelerator from Porsche and Axel Springer, which supports startups in their early stages -, the Porsche Digital Lab, which focuses on testing new technologies with an emphasis on artificial intelligence, blockchain, and IoT, as well as magazine EDISON.
Jury: Daniela Rathe (Head of Politics, External Relations and Sustainability at Porsche), Anja Hendel (Head of Porsche Digital Lab), Thomas Bachem (Founder & Chancellor of CODE University of Applied Sciences), Robert Martin (Project Manager Porsche Digital / APX), Franz W. Rother (Editor-in-Chief EDISON) and Patrick Bungard (Director Center for Advanced Sustainable Management at Cologne Business School and Managing Director of M3TRIX)
Benefits: Prize money totaling 20,000 euros, educational packages and development support in cooperation with the Porsche Digital Lab and the APX Accelerator.
Submit your idea now!
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