Cars Archives - Page 2 of 3 - The Next Billion Seconds

mpesceAugust 30, 2021August 27, 2021

SUSTAIN #2: Will electrified transport help us ‘flatten the curve’ on climate change?

Mercedes goes all in on EVs, with studies now indicating EVs do save 50% of emissions over their lifetime, versus petrol vehicles. Is this enough to keep on course to a low-carbon future? And what about flying cars? Co-host Sally Dominguez and Special Correspondent Drew Smith have some answers.

Mercedes goes all electric by 2030 – read about it here.

Study confirms EV has much lower lifecycle emissions than petrol vehicles – read that here.

Here’s that mindblowing video from Joby Aviation, showing how quiet this eVTOL ‘flying car’ really is!

And a really long flight with their aircraft – proof that electrification of air travel can work!

mpesceApril 12, 2021April 7, 2021

Episode 5.08 – What stands in the way of electric vehicles?

Co-host Sally Dominguez and special correspondent Drew Smith explore the many facets of vehicle electrification with Mark. EVs are finally happening – but does that make them inevitable?

(Pictured: GMC’s new Hummer EV SUV, coming at the end of 2021)

mpesceMarch 29, 2021March 19, 2021

Episode 5.07 – Have Australians embraced electric vehicles?

Australia’s cities are already chockers with electric bikes, electric scooters – even electric uniwheel skateboards. Has the nation already made a transition to EVs? And what does this tell us about the future of the family car?

mpesceMarch 22, 2021March 12, 2021

Episode 5.06 – What’s the next fuel after batteries?

Co-host Sally Dominguez looks beyond battery-powered vehicles, opening the door to a future featuring hydrogen, “paste”, and ammonia-powered engines. This diverse transition from fossil fuels enables a range of new vehicles for all of the ways we’ll live and work in the decades to come.

Sally’s new book EPIC Resilience is a great guide to staying match-fit in an ever changing world. Grab a copy here!

mpesceMarch 15, 2021March 12, 2021

Episode 5.05 – Has Europe gone ‘all-in’ on electric vehicles?

Special correspondent Drew Smith explores a European car market that appears to have reached a tipping point in sales of electric vehicles. Is it real? Is it sustainable? Can the power grid handle all those new EVs?

Drew asks the experts – and gets some surprising answers.

Drew co-authors the amazing ‘Looking Out’ newsletter – read the latest one here.

mpesceJune 24, 2020June 23, 2020

THE NEXT BILLION CARS Episode 11 – The Next Billion Bubbles

Physical distancing makes personal transportation a necessity. When public transport risks infection, cars & bikes become our safe spaces. Co-host Sally Dominguez looks at the sudden reframing of the automobile as self-contained ‘safe space’ during the pandemic. Special correspondent Drew Smith rhapsodises about the Renault Espace, the first MPV designed – to carry people.

Be sure to sign up for Drew Smith’s “Looking Out” newsletter – grab it here.

mpesceJune 19, 2019June 18, 2019

THE NEXT BILLION CARS Episode 10 – The Next Billion Challenges

Now that we know the state of play, we ask the big question: can the automotive sector thrive? Mark, Sally & Drew reflect on what they’ve learned on their journey.

mpesceJune 5, 2019June 3, 2019

THE NEXT BILLION CARS Episode 9 – The Next Billion Carmakers

It’s the birth of ‘fabless’ production – manufacturing without huge capital investment. Will we be able to design a car ourselves – inexpensively and safely?

mpesceMay 22, 2019May 22, 2019

THE NEXT BILLION CARS Episode 8 – The Next Billion Drivers

Is our transportation future a sleek clean sci-fi vision or a Max Max redux with added robotics? Could it be hell on wheels – or heaven on earth? Mark, Sally and Drew each explore their own versions of the perfect – and less-than-perfect automotive worlds to come.

mpesceMay 8, 2019May 7, 2019

THE NEXT BILLION CARS Episode 7 – The Next Billion Tons

Waste? Not! Designing cars for near-perfect recycling – is it even possible, or do the next billion end up as junk? How do we rethink a sustainable future around billions of automobiles? And can EVs promise zero carbon emissions?

We reference a lot of material on this episode, including this BP report on how much carbon we’re adding to the atmosphere every year. And a great article on recycling shredded automobiles.

mpesceApril 24, 2019April 23, 2019

THE NEXT BILLION CARS Episode 6: The Next Billion Passengers

Apps have turned us into ride-sharing, route-planning, ‘micromobility’ experts. We’re all passengers now, with more options than ever before.

LEK Partner Mark Streeting is an expert in ‘mobility-as-a-service’, a new term for the kind of seamless end-to-end transportation pioneered by Uber…

LEK’s Mark Streeting advises businesses & governments on ‘mobility-as-a-service’

Special correspondent Drew Smith spoke with ZipCar co-founder Robin Chase about how the city has been defined by cars – and what it means to move past that into the age of passengers.

And co-host Sally Dominguez found an intriguing Chinese startup – Grove Hydrogen Automotive – building hydrogen-fuel-cell powered vehicles and offering them to drivers on a ‘subscription’ basis – as a path toward jump-starting hydrogen fueling infrastructure throughout the nation.