Autonomous Driving For More Than 700 Miles Back Home From rEVolution 2018 In Amsterdam
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Enthusiasm for the fully electric future of mobility was one of the core elements of the rEVolution conference in Amsterdam on March 13. More than this: It was sort of like a little Woodstock for e-mobility. Yeaaaah! Great music, thundering sound, and the two hosts, Monica Araya and CleanTechnica Director Zachary Shahan, entering the stage like pop stars for their picturesque welcome.
Image via rEVolution/EVBox
That was followed by a shaking speech by the chief organiser of this large, global e-Mobility brainstorming — Kristof Vereenooghe, CEO of EVBox, which has its headquarters for charging professionals right there in Amsterdam. The Netherlands was once more presented as a frontrunner on electric mobility. Nowadays, not in the future.
Kristof told a story of his daughter asking him during their skiing holidays in Salzburg, Austria, and while in the garage of the hotel with many stinky diesel cars: “Daddy, can’t you do more to bring e-Mobility a step further, so that we can enjoy breathing clean air.” Good daddies do what their daughters beg them. Especially if it’s his company’s focus and an additional private goal.
No wonder I felt like I was in the middle of a flower-power-generation of e-Mobility enthusiasts. But we didn’t need any drugs at all. It’s been the news speakers like Tony Seba and Colin McKerracher gave us. Along with others, in addition to e-Mobility enthusiasm, Tony Seba spoke about autonomous driving and Level 4 already realized in the US.
But wait, autonomous travel is already available. Right now. Even in Europe. I know and enjoy it often. Coming home from beautiful Amsterdam, I chose an environmentally suitable and autonomous option: public transport by bus (for €20). I didn’t have to drive at all from Amsterdam to Munich. The trip took me more than 12 hours. Some others drove the distance with a Tesla and they had to charge twice and needed 9 hours. I think I made off better with my decision: comfort, low cost, sleep — simply unbeatable.
Even an electric car can be beaten by existing technologies and services. To continue my travel, I went by train for another €20. As an early and clever booker, I paid around 50 bucks for 700 miles of low-stress travel.
That has to be mentioned when we discuss transportation and mobility that protects our environment. In Amsterdam, we heard about the cost-cutting aspects of e-mobility for individuals and society, and the future of the carsharing economy. One can save an average of $6000 per year if he or she lives without owning a car.
In one brainstorming session at rEVolution 2018, I contributed that a smart city should be designed for people and not as a parking area: Make LOVE, not cars!
We can enjoy autonomous transportation and the advantages of trains right now. Technically, they may not be autonomous, but they essentially are for the passengers. To be sure, we will love to experience that brilliant future of truly autonomous driving, bringing us cleanly and cheaply to wherever we want, but how much different will it really be from riding a bus or train today?
The more we try, the more we will earn the love of our daughters and sons. We need to get rid of the poisoning world of combustion machines with an average energy efficiency of less than 20%. The future of e-mobility is the most attractive and affordable way, offering sustainable cars that can and will be used for decades. Too good to be true? Not at all. Amsterdam proved the fact that the keys for this adventure are in production. We won’t keep them in our pockets. They will be shared by most of us, on smartphones for a smarter future. For the best of transportation and sustainable living.
E-mobility fits these lines from the famous song Michael Jackson sang years ago:
We are the world
We are the children
We are the ones who make a brighter day
So let’s start giving
There’s a chance we’re taking
We’re taking our own lives
It’s true we’ll make a brighter day
Just you and me
In Amsterdam, we all got an idea of this brighter day. Not only for Kristof’s daughter.
By the way: Do you know where you are on the 19th of March 2019. I know: rEVolution 2019, Amsterdam, by EVBox. It’s a must if you love hearing about solutions, improvements for the world, your health, your finances and a new form of smart living. An electrifying Amsterdam and Kristof Vereenooghe’s team make it an unbeatable experience. You will love it!
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