E-Mobility

From MaaS to eMaaS, how „e” is taking a charge over the markets

01 OCTOBER 2020 • 7 MIN READ

Krzysztof Ciombor

Krzysztof

Ciombor

From MaaS to eMaaS header picture

Introduction

From convenient new ways of ticket purchasing, traffic alerts, and accessible forms of public & private transport to search for long-distance connections. In recent years mobility as a service rapidly gained popularity. Now, since we face huge global crises, accelerated by the dynamic society evolution, it might be a good moment to take charge of the growing service sector. With zero-emission declarations, new forms of green energy supplies, dynamic e-sector development, and top-down state regulations MaaS quickly evolve into eMaaS - electric Mobility as a Service. How to adapt and take advantage of still unexplored territories?

User-centric ecosystem

Several factors contributed to the success of mobility as a service. Since smartphones took over the world, the ways we consume goods changed. Development in the area of research and design of user-friendly solutions launched a space for new business models. With easy access to the net, growth of new transport options available, and car limits in city centers, owning particular properties became an unnecessary cost generator. MaaS became an innovative mobility concept, offering the possibility to get from A to B in an elastic, custom, on-demand, and straightforward way, often through a single interface.

MaaS owes its success to a user-centric focus and a different benefit package. As a service mobility allows passengers to choose the most suitable transportation dictated by their personal views and current circumstances. It could be price, rapidity, distance, weather conditions, or carbon footprint. Each user values a different available option. Powered by excellent frontend MaaS can provide various possibilities combining public transportation with solutions assured by the private sector. Supported by backend MaaS can deliver a huge dataset of transport preferences at different times of day and year. This will lead to a better understanding of user behavior and offered alternatives modeling.

With this growing concept of MaaS, the distributed transportation industry receives insight into the use of means of transport. Using a shared & integrated interface of transportation will lead to yet another value - a cheaper fee as “one journey” instead of paying a higher fee at each point. For vendors, this will mean shared fixed costs, a source of data for better business decisions, and new growth opportunities.

eMaaS

Electric mobility as a service ecosystem is a resultant of the earlier concepts solving common big city and mobility challenges, such as growing population, air pollution, increased pedestrianization, car-free zones, access to e-charging stations, and becoming environmentally friendly. Dictated by the transition to greener solutions there has been a rapid evolution of MaaS to eMaaS, which combines:

  • Mobility as a Service (MaaS)
  • Electric Mobility Systems (EMS)
  • Shared, Electric Mobility Services (SEMS)

with the technical capability to design and develop a user-centric solution, market adaptation, and business skills to make the product rock in a sustainable way. eMaaS as a concept integrates the chopped up market of mobility options like e-car, e-bike, and ride-sharing, combining with public transport. With a major purpose to replace fossil-fuelled cars and increase the usage of zero-emission mobility assets.

In highly competitive markets shared services take the lead, providing value for each participant. Electric mobility as a service has a better chance to excel, also thanks to government actions and statements of the biggest players on the market. Reduction of exhaust emissions, maintenance, and development of new green energy sources, as well as e-form of transport, create new markets.

Changes caused by external factors will require top crafted technologies for a seamless run, thoughtful, engaging design, and easy compatibility for further development and maintenance. Various solutions delivered to the market will lay the foundations for prospective integrated systems. The duty of those in charge of e-development will be to skillfully select experienced partners supporting e-solutions. And lastly, designing solutions for future eMaaS integration demands not only tech but also a set of soft skills with a forward-looking approach.

The future is “e”

We face yet another revolution. It’s e-revolution, that sets a challenge to deliver an innovative, e-solution so distinctive, that will give the advantage of creating exceptional value to users. And at the same time remaining easy to adapt on a large scale. Many factors determine the competitive advantage or even the success of e-mobility ventures. Government support programs, increased social awareness & approval, IT capabilities become key drivers on the road to create outstanding conditions for e-development.

Electric mobility as a service, with its all participants - suppliers, owners, and recipients - creates an extensive system of connected vessels, forming a powerful framework for e-business development.