Smart and sustainable mobility is the future. How can we get involved?

The online webinar, Intelligent and Sustainable Mobility - Inspirations and Examples of Good Practice from the USA, was the first in a series of this year's webinars and lectures in which we took an active part. Our CEO Martin Jančo spoke as one of the speakers who talk about intelligent and sustainable mobility. Among other things, there were other very important topics such as electromobility and hydrogen mobility, which Slovakia presents at the Dubai Expo 2020.

Slovakia as a producer of mobility per capita

It can be said that Slovakia is an "automotive superpower" as it is well known in the automotive industry, with a number of car factories located here. Among other things, we are a major producer of train carriages, making us the largest producer of mobility per capita in the world.

Opportunity from the EV revolution: R&D activities in Slovakia

We see changes in the automotive industry as an opportunity to add even more value to this segment than we have had so far. One of the biggest opportunities right now is the transfer of R&D activities of automotive suppliers, such as design and customer care, to Slovakia. The driving force behind this is the significantly shorter time needed to meet market needs, caused by the EV revolution. To take advantage of this potential, we need to strengthen cooperation between universities, the Slovak Academy of Sciences, and industry.

IT sector and new technological challenges

Another new chapter of opportunities for Slovakia lies in the IT sector, where there is a shortage of hundreds of thousands of people in Europe. The automotive industry's requirements will mainly be in the following technological areas: automotive embedded, verification engineering, secure software development, and, of course, AI. We are already doing all of this in Slovakia, but it will be necessary to significantly expand our capacities and certainly provide additional training in areas where we are lacking, such as AUTOSAR, MISRA, etc.

Virtual space for mobility data

In order to apply IT know-how to the field of mobility, we need to create an open virtual space for data obtained from mobility. This can generate new business potential for Slovak SEMs to provide more intelligent mobility in cities across Slovakia.

Slovakia as a testing ground for Europe

Slovakia could serve as a testing ground for the whole of Europe. Given its industrial and IT presence, the country's topology, and its transport network, this would not be the first time.

ESA PECS: An opportunity for technology teams

The ESA PECS program is an excellent opportunity for technology startups and SEMs in Slovakia with a vision for mobility. Technical teams can gain knowledge under the auspices of ESA on various projects to diversify their approach to multiple areas, such as the automotive and space industries, as we do.

Innovative examples: Slovak hydrogen car MH2

Slovakia has the ability to design and develop specific mobility solutions. An example is the MH2 car concept, which we know from the Slovak stand at Dubai Expo 2020.

Smart Mobility Slovakia Association: Cooperation platform

The Smart Mobility Slovakia association was established precisely because of the tasks that Slovakia will face in the near future in terms of smart mobility. The association is a platform for cooperation between entities from the private, academic, public, and civil society sectors that are involved in the field of mobility or influence it through their activities. It understands mobility as a complex value chain linking transport with industrial sectors and services, targeted at users with regard to social aspects, needs, and requirements. M2M Solutions is one of the founding members of this association.