Imagine the year 2035. How will people travel from one place to the next? More than 3 billion cars are expected to be in use all over the planet. That is a massive increase beyond the 800 million that are on the roads today. Governments around the world are now looking at the profound effects the vehicles will have: pollution, traffic congestion and energy demands. For this reason, we must choose vehicles that will be acceptable during this coming period of soaring car use.
One of the factors that was prevalent during the last century, and which has remained prevalent in the new millennium, is urbanisation. For the first time ever, more people live in cities than in rural areas. This is leading to a change in behaviour, which will partly involve vehicle ownership and the choice and availability of different fuel types. Development is rapid and many factors will change in the near future. Typical examples are:
- Vehicle ownership patterns will change considerably and it will become natural to share vehicles with others. Permanent ownership of vehicles will continue to be part of the overall picture. But subscribing to car ownership along with 30–40 other people will be a common procedure within a few years. Many companies on both sides of the Atlantic already offer this sort of service.
- Taking out a lease on two or even three different types of vehicle in a single annual agreement or over a longer lease period will become quite normal. You will then have access to a Vespa scooter, a small car and an SUV as you require. You will pay for actual use, and each vehicle will be available within a few minutes, as it will be parked somewhere in your neighbourhood.
- Annual lease agreements that include fuel, maintenance, insurance, parking and other services for a fixed monthly fee will also be common.
- The availability of energy will change considerably, and refilling or recharging facilities will be more widespread than is currently the case. Why should we waste so much energy getting to a filling station? It should be possible to distribute energy in a much simpler and more accessible manner at a reasonable price.
This is Northern Lights Energy’s vision of the future, and the company is looking to build up products and services in line with this view. The first step towards a change in car ownership patterns here in Iceland is the establishment of
Skyndibílar, which will start operations in 2011.