Navigating the Future: how Hitachi is driving transformation in the evolving global mobility sector
By Alistair Dormer , Executive Vice President Energy and Mobility
The rate of change in the mobility sector is accelerating, with more people and more goods moving around the globe, and an increasing necessity for this to be done in a sustainable manner. Having delivered pioneering technology and innovative solutions for over a century, Hitachi is well placed to meet the evolving needs of mobility, so I’d like to share what I believe the key opportunities in the sector are and how we can address potential challenges too. ?
Embracing new opportunities in mobility
1. Achieving net zero with sustainable options
Any discussions about the mobility sector need to be had with the knowledge that the movement of people and goods is growing continuously, especially in urban spaces. To give this some context, global demand for urban public transport will likely increase by 51% y 2030 vs 2015[1] and passenger and freight rail activity is expected to more than double by 2050[2].
As cities expand there is an increasing need for efficient, safe, and sustainable transport solutions with mandates from governments for the decarbonisation of travel.
Hitachi’s experience provides a strong foundation for addressing these needs, but we also never stop looking ahead, addressing the needs of the future consumer with projects such as the electrification of bus routes in Nantes, France which is helping public transport operator SMTC-AC increase passenger journeys from 32 million now to 52 million by 2052.
2. The switch to electric?
The need to decarbonise transport has brought about the rapid growth in e-mobility in recent years. Automotive OEMs pivoting to produce private passenger electric vehicles and the roll out of charging infrastructure such as at High Power Charge Parks, has been one of the most talked about aspects of this. But we’re also seeing the rollout of electric extend beyond the passenger car, with new fleets of electric buses and commercial vehicles and related infrastructure and services. In fact, electric infrastructure for public transportation fleets is expected to grow 25% year on year until 2030.
Hitachi has been and continues to play a significant role in the push towards electric mobility. We recently concluded the Optimise Prime trial—which looked at how the UK can be helped in meeting its net-zero goals through the use of electric commercial vehicles—offering advice on what the switch means for all involved. We are also seeing the group’s expertise at play in recently announced projects such as a new partnership between Hitachi ZeroCarbon and GRIDSERVE which will see around 140 eHGVs integrated into the UK charging network.
3. Marrying tech innovations and data-led, digital solutions
When we talk about the switch to electric, we’re talking about complex projects which involve on the one side innovation around vehicle manufacture and rolling stock and on the other side, updates to the infrastructure needed to run them. Hitachi has made sure it is well equipped to deliver support and expertise for both aspects of the electrification challenge, with decades of experience at Hitachi Rail of providing technological solutions alongside our more recent work on electric vehicles.
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Where Hitachi is able to offer more value to customers, is in its ability to join these two worlds of rolling stock and infrastructure, bridging the gap with its digital services and signalling offering which has recently been strengthened by the acquisition of Thales’ GTS. Projects such as Hitachi Energy supporting Genoa City Council in its plans to fully electrify its transport by 2025 with its Grid-eMotion Flash ultra-fast charging technology, demonstrate where Hitachi can offer this end-to-end support, from electrification of the fleet, to monitoring of data flow from the grid to the vehicle and back again.
4. Improving the journey experience
Lastly but probably most importantly are the opportunities to target our customer’s customer, the traveller, directly, using data to help facilitate more efficient and more comfortable journeys. In doing this we want to make mobility not just as simple as possible, but also cost effective, and of course sustainable too.
This is why we’re leveraging the power of generative AI and integrating it with data already offered by our advanced digital solutions across smart ticketing, mobility management and electrified mobility to create real-time analytics platforms for our customers. These platforms help city planners, bus operators and rail operators optimise public transport by creating ‘digital twins’ of the transport network which can then be used to predict and plan for scenarios which may cause disruption—resulting in a better experience for consumers.
While a change in perception and behaviours around public transport is of course needed, there are clearly many opportunities for these types of digital solutions to improve the journeys of people across the globe, which we anticipate having a positive effect on public transport uptake.
How will Hitachi meet the needs of its customers?
A key challenge for mobility is also what makes it such an interesting sector to operate in, which is the rate of change and transformation. New technological advancements are needed at increasing rates to meet the demands of urbanisation and decarbonisation, alongside larger-scale infrastructure projects which can take longer to plan but most also be fit for purpose at launch—sometimes years down the line.
This is why Hitachi strives to be a partner which can anticipate the needs of the market and deliver the right technologies at the right time for customers. The vast expertise within each Hitachi business means we can be a partner with immense capabilities to solve customer challenges, whether that’s joining the dots with digital, data-led solutions or taking our expertise directly to the consumer themselves. And we do all of this with a sustainable future for all in mind.
The mobility sector is showing no signs of slowing down anytime soon and neither is Hitachi in its efforts to drive transformation which will have a positive impact for businesses and consumers. Join the team at InnoTrans to find out more about the types of groundbreaking solutions that we can offer to the mobility sector.
[1] BCG Research