Driverless, electric cars… No longer dystopian but a force for good.
Sustainable living and reducing carbon emissions: Why the future of city transport wouldn’t be as dystopian as we think
Take a moment to picture yourself anxiously waiting for your taxi to arrive and only to be welcomed by a driver-less vehicle.
As weird as it seems to see a driver-less vehicle you nevertheless hop into the vehicle in a hurry as it takes you to your destination in the space of only 5 minutes. To some the thought of being ushered away by an autonomous driver seems to be a thought not many want to envision in their reality because of the implications it would have on employment and the digital advancements we are already seeing with artificial intelligence.
What would it mean for employment within the transport sector and why would we want to promote a lifestyle which revolves around remoteness?
To no one’s surprise, the advancement of technology over the past 10 years has seen a rise in digital forms of technology being implemented into our daily lives. The “drive” to being carbon-neural and maintaining sustainable living is a goal many countries at Climate Change summits aim to accomplish. Tackling road transport emissions in the UK is the start.
As of 2016, modes of transport, such as road transport, contributed around 40% of UK non-traded emissions in 2016 and is projected to fall by 16% in 2035. According to 2018 statistics, transport accounted for 28% of UK Greenhouse Gas Emissions followed by energy supply (23%), business (18%) and residential (15%). Whether it be travelling by bus, train, car, or tram, using motor vehicles as a mode of transport emits carbon dioxide and greenhouse gases into our environment. Despite the UK government issuing targets to reduce carbon emissions, the change starts with you and the collaborative efforts of community groups and movements to support the use of sustainable modes of travelling.
The growing sales and use of electric vehicles can be the solution to further reducing emissions and aiding in the UK’s target of reaching net carbon emissions by 2050.
More than 142,200 pure-electric cars were used on UK roads by the end of August 2020. There are also approximately 339,300 plug-in cars, 10,300 plug-in vans and 205 plug-in models registered in the UK as of September 2020 which suggests that the future of adopting electric vehicles is looking steadily realistic and not as dystopian as we think.
If you are interested in joining the zero emissions movement, check out ChargeBound’s website and the electric mobility solutions we provide in helping to make a change.
This article was researched and written by our good friend Samrawit Elias.
