The Evolved Consumer: The New Normal And The Newer Mobility Trends

Anand Ayyadurai Sep 03, 2021

We have been witnessing the unravelling of a series of unfortunate events since December 2019—the advent of the pandemic, the multiple lockdowns, the economic crisis, the crippling uncertainty—but even the Covid cloud has a silver lining. Don’t believe it? Hear me out.

The mobility and automotive sectors were two among those hardest hit by the repercussions of lockdowns and social distancing. But in a way, this setback has put forward some disruptive insights that would enable Original Equipment Manufacturers (OEMs) and mobility providers to make urban mobility accessible, affordable and sustainable. Interestingly, all these insights revolve around one pivotal factor; the evolved consumer.

With the ‘new normal’, there have emerged newer priorities and demands, urging the public and private mobility players to rethink objectives and reinvent technologies. Let’s take a look at the consumer trends that will redefine mobility in a post-pandemic world.

Contactless Mobility: The Need Of The Hour

Covid-19 has reinforced the need for smart, contactless mobility that requires minimum human interaction. While automated cars and bikes are in the long-term global vision, at present, self-driving two-wheeler rental providers are meeting these demands with the help of keyless scooters and one-click booking, made possible with the integration of IoT. But it doesn’t just end there—the next wave of digitising mobility will involve leveraging big data to:

Define speed and detect rash driving
Detect potholes and unfavourable terrains
Analyse the rider’s alertness levels to prevent accidents
Monitor the condition of vehicle parts
Detect unwanted movement, theft and vehicle towing

Rent Over Buy: The Essential Transition

Imagine that you make an investment and within the first 1 year, the asset depreciates by 15%. Would you still go for it? That is exactly how an automobile purchase works. The pandemic has put things into perspective, urging people to spend less and opt for affordable alternatives, paving the path for two major trends:

Shared Mobility: With convenience at its forefront, shared mobility is set to become the major mode of transportation across the world. Two and four wheeler rentals, ride-hailing, bike-sharing and carpooling are quickly turning into essential mobility options, with Frost and Sullivan predicting the global shared mobility market to exceed $1billion by the end of 2025. To increase the dependency on public transport and shared mobility, many developed countries are imposing a high premium on owning and using private vehicles within city centres.
Micromobility: Along with shared mobility, micro-mobility is quickly budding into the safest and most convenient mode of travel in congested cities. The global micro-mobility fleet is expected to reach 31 million by 2025, with scooter-sharing accelerating at a fast pace, especially in India.

Mobility As A Service (MaaS): The Big Picture

MaaS can be defined as a set of centralised digital solutions designed to simplify transportation. As an integrated system of IoT, big data and mobile applications from both the public and private sectors, MaaS will enable the consumers to control all aspects of mobility—booking tickets, cancelling a trip, paying for a service, leaving a review etc.—from a single platform.

Sustainability: The End Goal

The worldwide lockdown in 2019 proved that even a little bit of effort from our side can make a positive impact on our surroundings. An article by Carbon Brief states that there was a “record fall” in CO2 emissions from fossil fuels in 2020, the steepest ever recorded since the second world war. However, as the economy is rebounding, so are the emissions, escalating the need to opt for sustainable modes of transport at the earliest. Here are a few trends that will evolve out of this necessity:

E-bikes: With buses and metros being considered mobile Petri dishes, e-bikes are taking over the world, both in terms of convenience and affordability. Governments across the globe are introducing policies to make the 100% transition to electric fleets in another decade. In India, the FAME II subsidy has helped slash e-bike prices. Many states are also waiving off the registration fee for e-bikes in an attempt to speed up the transition.
Evolving Cityscapes: The pandemic brought to light how poor city planning could affect the daily lives of its inhabitants. Many countries are in the process of developing integrated smart cities that run on solar or electric power. In India, Gujarat is the first state to take up this challenge. Along with this, we will also witness the emergence of EV battery swapping stations and charging stations in all states shortly. On the international front, our government is planning to join hands with Germany to develop a robust EV system and is exploring an Israeli6 aluminium-air battery technology to replace Chinese lithium-ion batteries.

As the saying goes, what doesn’t kill us makes us stronger. Similarly, what makes mobility halt will push it further. Covid-19 may have knocked down OEMs and mobility providers for a while, but with the new consumer trends leading the way, they will come out stronger and ever-more agile! Let’s gear up to usher in the age of convenient, contactless and connected mobility.