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Mobility Glossary | From A for Autonomous Driving to Z for Zero-Emission Vehicles
Blog Mobility Glossary | From A for Autonomous Driving to Z for Zero-Emission Vehicles
Corinna Fröschke, Sara Palmbush March 7, 2023 Mobility
What is New Mobility? While you can see bits and pieces of New Mobility everywhere these days it refers to innovations in urban mobility with sustainable concepts for areas such as smart parking, micromobility, car sharing, ride-hailing and many more. Its primary goal is to conserve natural resources and increase efficiency in travel. We’ve created a useful alphabet to help describe trends in New Mobility. To be sure, we don’t claim it’s a complete list.
A for Autonomous Driving

If we add the word autonomous to a car, we are talking about a new vehicle technology that, according to a recent study, will probably not be established until 2040. The potential for society, safety and the economy is enormous. Older people will be better integrated, automated cabs or buses will travel more affordably (even in rural areas), traffic will run more smoothly, and goods will be transported in a more environmentally friendly way. Depending on the degree of automation, the number of accidents will decrease, because human error is still the main cause of all crashes – accounting for about 90%.

B for Battery Bus

The battery bus, e-bus or accumulator bus is powered by an electric engine. Their number has increased in urban areas: Numerous transport companies are already converting their bus fleets to zero-emission drive types, while others are still in the planning phase. In this way, transport companies are transforming an already environmentally friendly means of transport into a pioneer in climate protection.

C for Car Sharing

Carsharing means you don't own the vehicle yourself, but you share it with others -- as with the carsharing company, GoMore. Bookings are made via the website or app. Only the actual use of the vehicle is charged to the user. The vehicle is opened with a chip card or phone. The car key is usually in the vehicle and off you go.

D for Delivery Bots

Here we are talking about autonomous parcel delivery robots that deliver groceries to the doorstep, for example

E for e-Mobility

The term e-mobility means that a vehicle is fully- or partially, electrically powered: Motorcycles, passenger cars and commercial vehicles, as well as bicycles or public transport services are in this category. Electromobility is the key to climate-friendly, mobility worldwide. Electric vehicles produce significantly lower CO2 emissions, especially when combined with renewably generated electricity. In addition, electric cars will be able to act as mobile power storage units in the future to compensate for fluctuations in wind and solar power. By using an app such as the one from TRONITY you can see how to charge your vehicle more carefully in order to drive efficiently. It also provides a useful dashboard for data analysis of your e-car so you can improve performance metrics over time.

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F for Fuel Cell Vehicles

Vehicles that use hydrogen fuel cells to generate electricity and power an electric motor, producing only water as a byproduct.

G for Gender Equitable Mobility

Women and men move differently. They are mobile in similar proportions, but unequally represented in the transportation sector. Less than a third of those employed in the transport sector are women. As a result, concepts have been planned mostly by men so far, and mobility solutions have been oriented toward male needs. Data can help break down this logic. A gender-responsive mobility transition is social, ecological, and inclusive – for the different needs of all people.

H for Health Mobility

This refers to all health dimensions in mobility: e.g., air quality, traffic volume, or traffic safety. Sustainability and inclusion are also important factors in health mobility.

I for Intermodality

Here we mean road users in passenger transport who combine the use of different modes of transport within one route. For example, taking a bicycle to the subway, then to the train, and finally to the destination by e-bike.

J for Jitney

A small, informal means of public transportation -- a shared cab or minibus, for example, that operates on a flexible, on-demand route.

K for Kick Scooter

Small, lightweight vehicles propelled by pushing off the ground with one foot and typically used for short trips.

L for Last Mile

The "last mile" is basically the distance from a distributor to the consumer. This can mean the last section of a telephone line. In transport, it refers to the last section of a transport route to the recipient. Logistics and transport companies are looking for new concepts to deliver their products efficiently. Delivery vans and cargo bikes are frequently encountered in the last mile.

M for Mobility Budget

MOBIKO provides employers and their employees with a monthly, flexible mobility budget for all mobility options worldwide. Whether we are talking about micromobility such as bicycles or e-scooters, car sharing or rail: with MOBIKO, employees can use all mobility service providers and companies and hence meet mobility needs. The budget offers a fair mobility solution for local and long-distance transport that is independent of location and provider. Employees are thus free to organize their mobility and choose their vehicle flexibly.

O for On-Demand Transportation

Transportation services that are available whenever and wherever the customer needs them, such as ride-hailing and car-sharing. In many cities, the transportation tools - public transportation, walking, cycling and micromobility - are in place, but they may not be connected in ways that maximize the potential of the entire transport network. Vianova is a mobility data platform that brings all these sectors and mobility players together, to maximize societal benefit.

 

P for Pedelec

Pedelec stands for Pedal Electric Cycle, i.e. a bicycle with an electric auxiliary motor that only assists up to a speed of 25 km/h. It is a type of e-bike.

Q as in Quantum Computing (in transportation)

This is the use of quantum computing technology to optimize transportation systems and solve complex transportation problems.

R for Ridehailing

Ridehailing refers to an on-demand service for transporting people in passenger cars. Probably the best-known ridehailing company is Uber. The term should not be confused with ridesharing/ridepooling, which involves the bundling of several individual ridehailing bookings. People who have the same destination or are traveling the same route can share a vehicle and the cost with little detour.

S for Smart Parking

Smart parking is about real-time parking availability: efficient and cost-effective. Innovative technologies, such as sensors and cameras, detect available parking spaces and navigate motorists inside to the nearest space using digital signage (e.g. LED displays). An alternative app solution is offered by Parcandi. Parcandi's vision is to solve parking problems around the world. Wherever parking is needed, the app can offer parking spaces. It’s flexible and contactless.

T for Transportation Network Companies

Companies that provide ride-hailing, car-sharing, and other on-demand transportation services.

U for Urban Air Mobility

Urban air mobility refers to the extension of urban transportation into the airspace. UAM concepts are mostly about eVTOL (vertical take-off and landing aircraft with electric propulsion in urban areas) and air cabs.

V for Vanpooling

A form of carpooling in which a group of people share a van or minibus to commute to work or other destinations.

W for Wallbox

Anyone who wants to get into electromobility cost-effectively usually needs a wallbox for their home. A normal household socket is not recommended as a charging station for an e-car in the long term. Conventional power cables, plugs and sockets can quickly overheat and, in the worst case, burn or cause a cable fire. With a wall charging station, you can charge an electric car without risk.

Z for Zero-Emission Vehicles

Vehicles that produce no harmful emissions, such as electric cars and hydrogen fuel cell vehicles.

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