Urban Mobility 2.0

The hype surrounding electro-mobility has noticeably abated in the last two years. Despite ambitious government goals, sales figures for elec­trically powered vehicles in Germany are still at a low level. By contrast, in the shadow of the especially media-fuelled debate, it appears that electrically powered vehicles are doing well in the car sharing sector, as demonstrated by the “eCarsharing” systems set up in Berlin, Stuttgart and Ulm. In these cities, users can spontaneously hire electrically powered cars and drop them off again at specific locations. In this way, a completely new, flexible and low-emissions form of urban mobility is being created that is welcomed especially by young people in town centres.

This new form of mobility is being made possible by technological innovations such as mobile internet technologies, novel vehicle concepts and battery charging infrastructure, through a new form of mobility culture of “sharing not owning” and through the political will to create new transportation solutions for inner cities. An essential part of the whole concept is that car sharing systems be closely integrated into public transportation systems and be powered by renewable energies. If consistently pursued, electrical car sharing has the potential to change the transporta­tion systems of our cities so as to create a clean and flexible form of mobility that can significantly improve the quality of our urban environment.

Drawing on a current study by Buro Happold, Ingrid Pohl and Sebastian Seelig explained the background to this new form of mobility. On the basis of most recent developments and thinking with regard to the city ­of Berlin, they showed how electrically powered urban mobility can ­be organized in a synergetic and intelligent way and also presented the creative potential it holds for our city streets.