The Energy & Transportation Transformation; 9 Enabling & Empowering Technologies

The cell phone changed the world for the better. No longer were telephone poles and lines necessary to communicate or share information. The areas of greatest need in the developing world, unencumbered by soon to be stranded assets, quickly caught up and began to leap-frog the developed world. Incumbent and monopoly phone companies resisted adopting the new wireless technology so many were subsequently leap-frogged, transformed or made obsolete. The disruption and innovation within the communication industry didn't stop there and continues to this day, with similar implications for transportation and energy.

It didn't take Apple long to transform the cell phone. The world was once again never the same with the entrance of the iPhone. Suddenly, phones became smart and what would have previously required a trunk full of gadgets could now fit in our pockets. Like the cell phone did to the telephone industry, electric vehicles are turning the automotive industry on it's head. Tesla opened the floodgates and while many OEM's struggle to swim in these new waters, more technology companies are ready to transform the electric vehicle as we know it.

Enter Foxconn. The Taiwanese manufacturer of the iPhone is perhaps the best indication of what's to come with its entrance into the automotive industry as a contract manufacturer. The EV is quickly becoming the center of our universe, transforming society once again while expanding access to energy, mobility and the age of information.

To further elucidate and illustrate the transformation of the electric vehicle into something akin to the smart phone, let's explore 9 enabling and empowering technologies:

'Autonomous' Driving, Private 5G Networks & GPS

Autonomous driving companies have entered the vehicle markets with diverse sets of technology that are still under development and arguably uncertain at this time. What technology may succeed or prevail is up for debate. Once (or if) mastered, entire industries like trucking could be impacted while enabling new business models.

Private 5G networks will not only further innovate and disrupt the cell phone industry, with many more entrants and providers into the cell phone spectrum market, they will also enable safer autonomous driving, for example. More so, private 5G networks will integrate and immerse the electric vehicle into the world wide web, opening up the doors for more powerful connected computation and utilization of the onboard computers and energy. Imagine mobile servers, cloud storage services and expanding frontiers for internet access.

GPS besides obvious uses, like maps, is being leveraged for planning purposes to uncover shortcomings and areas of improvement for EV charging infrastructure. Check out what Esri is doing to leverage its GPS technology.

The Metaverse, Blockchain & Open Source

Metaverse based entertainment is coming inside of a Sony/Honda vehicle near you later this decade. What that will look like or how it will work is uncertain but we really don't need anymore distractions while driving, which make it seem implausible to offer without autonomous driving, right? Well, that's the plan and example of how enabling technology works.

Open source software is being deployed to build the 'internet of electricity'. Much like the way the internet was built on open-source software, we are entering a new era where open-source is coming for your EV, too! Scaling technology and eliminating duplication has never been easier and rapidly transforming the grid and transportation to be clean and smart is possible, thanks to open-source. Check out what LF Energy is doing in EV charging, blockchain, AI and more in the energy space.

Blockchain is also coming for your EV but maybe not how you might expect. As a distributed ledger, blockchain technology can do things like tell you when the grid is running clean or dirty, and provide a seamless framework for touchless payment systems. Blockchain will continue to enable greater decentralization and trust in the energy and mobility markets.

Solar-Powered EVs, Batteries on Wheels & Power Plants on Wheels

Solar power is the fastest growing segment of the energy industry and yes, it's coming for your vehicle. Few companies are pursing the opportunity to solarize vehicles but one good example is the up and coming Sono Motors releasing an SEV (solar electric vehicle) for the masses at pricing close to $25,000 with a little less range anxiety. Another is the unique Aptera solar vehicle, similarly priced.

Batteries on Wheels with the integration of electric vehicles as part of the grid is here which means you can access the battery in a Ford Lightning or Nissan Leaf and avoid stationary storage for energy resilience. In times of natural disasters, we've seen vehicles provide a little safety net to stay warm or plug in some lights. While exciting, batteries on wheels require offboard hardware that can't currently compete with say a Tesla Powerwall without subsidization. Like everything else, smart inverters - the most advanced power electronics in the world - are coming to your vehicle.

Power Plants on Wheels will not only onboard all of the hardware needed to access a Ford, Nissan or Chevy battery on wheels, the SineWatts, Inc. technology will also transform the EV charging infrastructure markets. Incorporating the world's most advanced inverter technology into the EV will essentially put a DC fast charger in your pocket and turn your vehicle into a modern Swiss Army knife, able to power itself or anything, anywhere. The reduction in material, mining and money necessary to electrify transportation and enable a 100 percent renewables grid is now possible and coming for your vehicle, too!

Imagine a confluence of enabling technology packed into your EV... Like the cell phone that democratized communication, disrupting the natural monopoly power of the telephone industry, and continuing to get smarter, get ready for the EV to do the same to the energy and utility industries.

What other enabling technology will transform the automotive and energy markets?

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