By Rubén López Barrera, CEO Aleatica Mexico
The mobility sector is undergoing a radical transformation that will define development in the 21st century. Given this energy transition, today we’re seeing vehicles powered by different energy sources, like hydrogen and battery-based electric engines. As innovations sweep the automotive sector, what’s going on with the highway infrastructure sector? Is it ready to handle these kinds of vehicles and ensure safe, autonomous trips?
One of the main challenges for electric vehicles is the lack of charging points on both highways and in cities. There are regions and countries that are not only innovating, but also investing in the transformation of their highway infrastructure. In late 2017, China inaugurated a 1-km stretch of solar highway in Jinan, south of Beijing, which charges electric vehicles and generates power for adjacent communities1. Automated charging highways that use induction to charge electric vehicles as they travel are another example. The most recent case is the 1-km long polygon Aleatica built on the Brebemi Highway, connecting the Lombardy region in the north of Italy.
China has shown us its potential with the deployment of 2.2 million charging stations, while 18 European Union (EU) member states already have 5 charging points per 100 km2. In the Americas, provinces like Quebec, Canada, are leading not only the transition to the use of electric vehicles (with over 100,000 electric vehicles already on its roads) but also with 3,000 charging stations. Not one to play catch up, the U.S. Departments of Transportation and Energy recently announced a 5-billion dollar joint investment to build a national network of charging stations to provide better access for electric automobiles.
In addition to setting up infrastructure enabling mass use of these vehicles, the other challenge consists of making the charging stations accessible with equitable pricing for communities everywhere. Governments, investors and the private sector should consider these factors in order to improve the quality and quantity of infrastructure for all kinds of electric vehicles, including those that use hydrogen. Likewise, they should consider the specific needs and characteristics according to vehicle type (heavy or light).
Tackling these challenges calls for 1. a complex process to align new technologies with infrastructure development for power transmission and 2. new vehicles to have the capacity to travel safely and autonomously. We need to increase access to renewable energy through the development of new technologies, while also creating transmission infrastructure and road safety. Altogether, it calls for investment and careful planning.
When 20% of current global CO2 emissions come from the transportation sector, there’s nothing to do but make more aggressive decisions to decarbonize it. The UN-sponsored commitment to a 45% reduction in carbon emissions by 2030 and meeting the goal of net zero emissions by 2050 challenges the automotive and highway infrastructure sector to innovate. A forward-looking plan, financial resources, and promoting internal changes across all mobility-related sector value chains are keys to keeping this transformation on track. The development and competitive