Designing for Sustainable Mobility in 2021: Part 1
Mobility is the UK’s worst performing sector when it comes to decarbonisation. With the worsening climate emergency, I aim to put forward how companies can adapt to drive behavioural change toward sustainable mobility.
This series of articles is for anyone involved in mostly road-based mobility.
The Landscape of Electric Vehicles in 2021
First off, let’s dispel any preconceptions of what an Electric Vehicle actually is. Cambridge University Press define it as:
electric vehicle: a vehicle that uses electricity for power
Pretty simple really. This definition does not stipulate solely using electricity for power and so this summary will include a list of electric vehicles you should be aware of some of which are electrically assisted. Electrically assisted means assistance is provided to amplify human effort. Typically this is around 50% to 400% of human effort (i.e. providing super powers).
Battery and motor innovations have spawned a variety of new vehicle forms which I summarise here. Whats important is their role in sustainable mobility and energy efficiency.
What is a sustainable vehicle?
A sustainable vehicle may be one which:
- Has highly efficient energy use: Consumes as little energy as possible to serve the task it is performing.
- Is manufactured from as little material as possible using processes and methods which are inherently sustainable.
- Has neutral impact on the health of the planet and its life as possible particularly when used at scale. By scale, I mean — what if this is used by every human on earth as part of their mobility needs. What rare earth minerals are required for manufacture etc.
- Has negligible impact on the health of humans. We should avoid mobility solutions which at scale cause harm.
- Supports a circular economy: the vehicle can easily be repaired during lifetime and can be 100% recycled at end of product life.
The main categories of electric vehicle can be summarised as follows:
- E-Scooter
- E-Bike
- E-Cargo Bike
- E-Velo Bike
- E-Moto
- E-Car (Tiny)
- E-Car (Standard)
- Other (e.g. E-Skateboards, E-Unicycles etc)
E-Scooter
Electric scooters are becoming more common with sales booming. Electric scooters are one of the lightest vehicles which enable 100% assisted mobility.
Additionally some electric scooters are being adapted to be more accessible and inclusive such as the Toyota Wheelchair-Linked EV which can provide assisted mobility to wheelchair users.
E-Bike
Electric bikes are electrified versions of “traditional” pedal-power bikes. Whilst there are several categories of bike, for the purposes of this illustration I refer to Electric Bikes as defined in the EU as electrically assisted (i.e. they only provide supplemental assistance to human effort — they will not move unless pedalled).
E-Cargo Bikes
E-Cargo Bikes are electric bikes but are designed and built to cater for heavy cargo, typically up to 250kg. They are designed to cater for mobility jobs which are currently served by larger motor vehicles but with order of magnitude improvements in energy efficiency and sustainability. Again, these come in different varieties (long tail, mid tail, front box, mid-box) etc.
E-Moto
E-Velobike
Electric velos are a hybrid of a Tiny E-Car and an E-Bike. Comprised of 3 or 4 wheels, they have fully protected cabins mitigating any weather concerns of those worried about bad weather on E-Bikes. In terms of power, they are akin to E-Bikes with electrical assistance rather than full assistance — again, allows users to benefit from active travel whilst also increasing the range.
Some E-Velos have the option to carry 1–2 children or an adult passenger plus luggage. Due to the better aerodynamics than an eBike, from the smooth canopies and recumbent position — they can achieve higher speeds with less effort. They also benefit from being allowed to use bike lanes in UK and Europe.
E-Car (Tiny)
Tiny E-Cars (or Mini EVs) are generally 2-seater, fully assisted electric vehicles with more of the luxuries you would find in a conventional E-Car or Motor Vehicle. They tend to be speed limited, being optimised for short trips (e.g. city and urban use).
As of September 2021, the Wuling Hong Guang MINI EV is the best selling E-Car in China.
E-Car (Standard)
When someone says “EV” this is typically what they think about. This is the electrified version of existing motor vehicles with almost identical form-factors as their internal combustion (IC)/ hybrid (HEV)/ plug-in hybrid (PHEV) counterparts.
In Summary
Here I’ve covered the most common form factors of electric vehicle which exist today (2021). No doubt this will grow as more segments and form-factors appear. It’s important to be aware of the landscape of form-factors as mapping their usage to the right trip will provide huge efficiency gains in tackling the climate emergency.
In the next instalment I’ll cover how these vehicles vary in energy efficiency, CO2e emissions and more.
