VW is not resting idly by while the public wonders how to view the company in the future. Reeling from a few chaotic years brought on by the infamous diesel scandal, the company has been very busy putting its money where its mouth is. And the future of the company is electric and autonomous.
VW Gets Even More Serious About The Future Of Mobility
VW Future Of Mobility
According to Volkswagen Group CEO Matthias Müller, electric mobility (e-mobility) and autonomous vehicles (AV), along with digital networking for road users and mobility services, are what the company wants to focus on. And in order to do that, VW Group will invest more than €34 billion in this by 2022. “We want to redefine urban mobility, and to that end, we are systematically focusing on people and their needs, and not primarily on technology.”
Müller bases these actions on UN predictions that forecast about 70% of the world’s population living in urban areas by 2050. That means more than 80% of global GDP is generated in cities where mobility will be a key enabling factor. He stated: “The future of mobility lies first and foremost in cities and metropolitan areas. That is where the most pressing problems are to be found — and where both the need and the potential for change are at their greatest. If we want to preserve the freedom of individual mobility, then we have to say goodbye to many things we associate with driving today. We must rethink and redefine mobility. And we will be stepping up our efforts in this regard even further.”
https://youtu.be/6Z1T-pAyqj0
VW chose the northern city of Hamburg to show what our future could look like. By giving 50 e-Golfs to the public, entrepreneurs, and authorities, autonomous trucks will haul the heavy duty cargo in the major Port of Hamburg and on selected highways. Using the “We Deliver” service in Hamburg, testing will begin this year with the electric 6-seat shuttle that will grow to 200 electric vans (e-vans), and eventually that number will climb to 1,000 shuttles in Hamburg.
VW Faces The Future Beyond 2030!
VW has been in the hot seat for some time. Last year’s re-explosion of new emissions testing cheating devices enraged more than a few. It’s too bad, because VW was finally distancing itself from this scandal until it came back out of left field. The company brought together around 200 experts from all departments and brands to determine which would be the most important trends and scenarios by 2030.
Although VW is a traditional carmaker, it also understands it needs to be part of our mobility needs and solutions for tomorrow. And in order to do that, it not only needs to retool, but also design its future and see beyond the near-horizon what there is in store for us all. There needs to be a strong and dedicated mobility partnership with cities, as the new e-mobility infrastructure is being built from various angles.
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