As Chattanooga continues to grow, so will the city’s transportation systems. And with more people comes more environmental and financial impact. Many companies are working toward “sustainable mobility,” a social effort designed to conserve energy, reduce pollution and create long-term economic solutions as to how we move about our city and world.
This spring, The Company Lab hosted the first-ever CO.MOBILITY Summit, where business leaders talked about advancements in electric vehicles, “smart city” innovations, quantum technology, freight and logistics technology, workforce development and more. Here, Co.Lab CEO Tasia Malakasis shares the fives things you’ll want to know on the subject:
1. Sustainable mobility is going to change everything
The mobility revolution is set to disrupt over 30 industries and change everything about how people, goods, energy and data move about our world. There are the obvious industries like electrification of cars and freight, but also much less obvious ways, like how we use energy and what kinds of energy we will consume. I honestly believe that the day is not that far away when parents will be telling their children about how, when they were growing up, they had to drive their own cars. It’s much like I now say to my son that I remember when a phone was on the wall and not in my pocket — or that I remember when my car was not embedded with a map.
2. Quantum computing is a huge piece of the puzzle
Quantum computing and networking will be needed to meet the intensity of the data needs of sustainable mobility. Data is such a huge piece of this, and traditional computing will not be able to manage. As an example, a recent Wall Street Journal article detailed the intense real-time data needs of autonomous vehicles taking in information from the tires. There was a quote that read: “Companies like Goodyear Tire & Rubber and Bridgestone aim to equip the tires of autonomous vehicles with sensors that can gather and relay data on friction and road conditions, helping the vehicles decide, for instance, how fast to take a turn or how soon to start braking.”
3. Chattanooga is poised to become a national leader in this space
Not only does Chattanooga have more people employed in freight and logistics per capita than any other city in the nation, we have some incredible and highly unique assets that set us apart to be a dominant player in the sustainable mobility space. The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) has the only test bed for connected autonomous vehicles; we have a global auto manufacturer here with their electric vehicle (EV) headquarters; and we have the only commercially available quantum network. We have a tremendous competitive advantage.
4. ESG is a big driver
Environmental, social and governance factors (ESG) have a significant impact on sustainable mobility. Companies are now being held accountable about how they move goods about the world in an environmentally sound way. And without good practices, there are potential fines and risks to capital investment.
5. The goal is equity for all
Sustainable mobility is a movement (pun intended) that affects everyone — and which we all will benefit from. The advances in mobility can have a dramatic impact on those who have been “transportation insecure,” by providing new and more efficient options to get to living wage jobs, as well as creating living wage jobs for those who can’t perform certain tasks now due to handicaps.
Tasia Malakasis is the CEO of The Company Lab (CO.LAB), a nonprofit startup accelerator based in Chattanooga that supports entrepreneurial growth in southeast Tennessee. For more, visit The Company Lab website.