Reinventing the Automobile：Personal Urban Mobility for the 21st Century

Thisbookprovidesalong-overduevisionforanewautomobileera.ThecarswedrivetodayfollowthesameunderlyingdesignprinciplesastheModelTsofahundredyearsagoandthetail-finnedsedansoffiftyyearsago.Inthetwenty-firstcentury,carsarestillmadefortwentieth-centurypurposes.They'rewellsuitedforconveyingmultiplepassengersoverlongdistancesathighspeeds,butinefficientforprovidingpersonalmobilitywithincities--wheremostoftheworld'speoplenowlive.Inthispathbreakingbook,WilliamMitchellandtwoindustryexpertsreimaginetheautomobile,describingvehiclesofthenearfuturethataregreen,smart,connected,andfuntodrive.Theyrolloutfourbigideasthatwillmakethisbothfeasibleandtimely.First,wemusttransformtheDNAoftheautomobile,basingitonelectric-driveandwirelesscommunicationratherthanonpetroleum,theinternalcombustionengine,andstand-aloneoperation.Thisallowsvehiclestobecomelighter,cleaner,and"smart"enoughtoavoidcrashesandtrafficjams.Second,automobileswillbelinkedbyaMobilityInternetthatallowsthemtocollectandsharedataontrafficconditions,intelligentlycoordinatestheirmovements,andkeepsdriversconnectedtotheirsocialnetworks.Third,automobilesmustberechargedthroughaconvenient,cost-effectiveinfrastructurethatisintegratedwithsmartelectricgridsandmakesincreasinguseofrenewableenergysources.Finally,dynamicallypricedmarketsforelectricity,roadspace,parkingspace,andshared-usevehiclesmustbeintroducedtoprovideoptimummanagementofurbanmobilityandenergysystems.Thefundamentalreinventionoftheautomobilewon'tbeeasy,butitisanurgentnecessity--tomakeurbanmobilitymoreconvenientandsustainable,tomakecitiesmorelivable,andtohelpbringtheautomobileindustryoutofcrisis.FourBigIdeasThatCouldTransformtheAutomobile*Basetheunderlyingdesignprinciplesonelectric-driveandwirelesscommunicationsratherthantheinternalcombustionengineandstand-aloneoperation*DeveloptheMobilityInternetforsharingtrafficandtraveldata*Integrateelectric-drivevehicleswithsmartelectricgridsthatuseclean,renewableenergysources*Establishdynamicallypricedmarketsforelectricity,roadspace,parkingspace,andshared-usevehicles