Are mega cities ready for connected driving?

A car is not only a means of transportation to get you from A to B. It is also a place where you spend a lot of time. Many traveling salesmen spend more time in their car than in their office or their living room. So let’s develop a car where you can do things you typically do in your office or in your living room.

As you make yourself at home in a perfectly comfortable driver seat, your smartphone automatically connects with the on-board communication ― and entertainment system. Your personal song collection is being played by your stereo but you can also watch YouTube clips or view other pages on the internet.

Pre-installed services your bank are easily accessible such as balance check or wire transfer, you can track newspaper clippings, your favorite stock exchange ticker or the latest weather forecast.

You can easily transfer the Internet search of your meeting place to your navigation system, and then consult your favorite search engine to find a hotel in the neighborhood. On your way to your appointment, you eventually book your room by Internet or simply by telephone ― using the hands-free kit of your car, of course.

As you travel to your destination you are receiving an email. Safely driving on, you have the email being read to you out loud. Needless to say, you can pre-select the voice; sometimes you prefer a female voice with a British accent, while other times you enjoy the sonorous Louisiana drawl. You want to answer the email immediately, so you simply dictate your reply using the hands-free system and send it out. For safe and reliable assistance and advice for all kinds of things, a hotline is available to you, providing you with information and booking services. For emergency situations there is a red button right above your head that connects you immediately to the service hotline which will instantly contact the police, ambulance or fire department. Inter-car traffic warning communication makes sure critical incidents can be anticipated by your driving, speed or choice of itinerary.

There is more to say about connected driving of tomorrow’s cars, but the revolution in the interior is not the only major change we will soon see. New engine and power train technologies will conquer the market. Solely electric concepts and hybrid vehicles combining an efficient diesel or petrol engine with an electric motor are on the rise.

Motorcycles and scooters will be an important element of the solutions mega cities will have to apply to arrange for a smooth and efficient traffic flow in the future. The complementary use of individual and public transportation will require intelligent parking and transfer facilities with individual booking and subscription applications.

As batteries unfortunately are very heavy, electric car manufacturers will need to save weight with the other components and body parts. Hence, innovative materials such as carbon fibers, plastics and textiles will become a competitive factor. The car manufacturers perfectly understand that managing these massive changes of our individual mobility in the next years and decades can only be successful if the industry keeps generating profits. Only successful players can afford to finance all the necessary R&D and production investments. This in turn requires an attractive product portfolio during a long transition period, a modern, appealing design and vehicles fun to drive, so companies can please fans, make loyal friends and conquer new customers.

But why is it that the mega cities will determine the future trends towards smaller, smarter and greener cars? Well, in 1950 there were 83 cities on the globe with populations exceeding 1 million ― today there are more than 500 of them and by 2050 more people will live in mega cities than live on earth today.

At the same time we have to acknowledge that 80 percent of all polluting emissions are caused in urban areas, which, on the other hand, account for 50 percent of the world’s gross domestic product.

The average traffic speed in London and Shanghai is 16 kilometers per hour, about the speed of a horse-drawn carriage in 1900. Commuters in Mexico City spend more than two hours in traffic on their way to the office and another two on their way home every day.

In Sao Paulo commuters lose 27 days in traffic jams per year. There are countless shocking examples of the mega cities’ struggle with traffic and mobility infrastructure deficiencies that emphasize the urgent need for change.

And Korea? For Korea, I believe, the upcoming “mobility challenge” actually is a great opportunity. Korea is not a leading economy in all the areas in which new developments and technologies are requested, but it is in some.

And Korea ― contrary to many other cultures ― generally doesn’t have an issue with change management let alone with learning from others. Therefore, this is the time to establish strategic alliances with foreign partners excelling in complementary areas so as to be better prepared for the competition ahead. Let’s team up.

By Hans-Christian Baertels

This is the third in a three-part series of stories contributed by BMW Group Korea. The author is currently CFO at the company in Seoul. ― Ed.