Clean mobility — While most of us can safely assume its meaning, there could be a little more to it than you realise. In this blog, we explain and break down the bright and enormous implications of mobility.
It's fair to say we're passionate about mobility. Specifically clean mobility; a phrase anyone familiar with Lightyear has probably heard or seen us mention many times
For us, a deep understanding of mobility, and the need to make it clean and accessible, is the foundation on which we can build a better future. For our planet and its people; the caretakers that protect its balance.
What is mobility?
It may seem obvious, but to truly understand clean mobility, we must first understand the term ‘mobility’ itself. For many, the word is interchangeable with ‘transport’ — but their definitions are actually very different.
Transport is the act of carrying or moving people or goods, while mobility is the ability to move or be moved freely. Mobility is about something we have, not something we do. This distinction is important. The term has evolved to represent the idea of free movement, regardless of transport type.
In fact, it’s this distinction that pioneered a shift from vehicle ownership to shared mobility solutions, primarily through app-enabled technologies. Of course, cutting down ownership of vehicles feels like a step in the right environmental direction, but isn’t the entire solution.
The Paris Agreement
With the Paris Declaration on Electro-Mobility and Climate Change stating that transport contributes up to 23% of current global energy-related greenhouse gas emissions, the rise of shared mobility solutions does mean fewer fossil-fuelled vehicles on our roads.
But this alone won’t ensure that global temperatures rise by less than 1.5 degrees Celsius. To achieve this, the Declaration also requires at least 20% of all road transport vehicles, globally, to be electrically driven by 2030. This is where clean mobility comes in.
What is clean mobility?
Clean mobility aims to achieve world-class vehicle efficiencies with zero emissions to protect the future of free movement. Naturally, this calls for innovative new mobility concepts and solutions. Society has already seen an increased uptake in electric vehicles (EVs), which often release zero tailpipe emissions.
This is better for the environment, but still comes with its own drawbacks. As demand for EVs increases, so too does the strain on the power grid that fuels them. A grid powered by renewable energy could be a solution, but the global transition to renewable energy sources is simply too laboured to deliver the change our planet needs to see now. That’s why we believe solar electric vehicles (SEVs) are the cleanest mobility solution with the greatest long-term potential.
With the ability to restore balance and relieve energy infrastructure, SEVs draw power from the greatest natural resource of all: the sun. They also represent something much greater — a future of technological innovation that will forever change how we define mobility.
The future of clean mobility
Mobility is a fundamental societal need, and we believe clean mobility should be accessible to everyone, everywhere. Over the past six years, we’ve innovated and engineered the world’s first production-ready solar car, Lightyear 0, as another step on that journey.
The launch marked a moment of reflection, proving our concept and laying the groundwork for more affordable models to come. As of today, we’re one step closer to the realisation of our mission — but understand, there’s still a lot of work to be done.
And we can’t do it without you — the like-minded, ready to adopt a new, visionary approach to mobility. Turn the wheels of change with us by subscribing to our mailing list, we’ll keep you updated on every milestone and pitstop.
