BEING MOBILE - Rhomberg Bau

mobilitY
A few thoughts on mobility
Cars are stuck in a traffic jam. Cyclists are sweating. The overfilled
buses and trains stink. Walking is too much like hard
work. So why not stay at home and enjoy the life of a couch
potato? How much more fun was life 50 years ago, when
Austrian writer Helmut Qualtinger intoned in his Austrian
vernacular: “I may not have a clue where I am going, but at
least I will get there quicker!” Then as now, the key word was
progress. Movement. Mobility. Whatever – just keep moving.
Never mind where to. And: whatever you do, don’t think about
it. Clearly, thinking must be proving something of a challenge
if we are so heavily reliant on such an inefficient means of
transport as our conventional cars, with a real efficiency of
between 20% (petrol cars) and 30% (diesels). Not to mention
the fact that these vehicles spend upwards of 90% of
their lives standing still, either in traffic jams or in the garage.
Consequently, some might equate cars more with standing
still see them as an expression of mobility.
But, in the case of electric cars, the fact that cars spend so
much time doing nothing is precisely what can be turned to
our advantage – by using their batteries as storage for basic,
economy-rate electricity which can then be used as ondemand
peak-rate electricity. Smart Grids make this possible.
This type of intelligent network – which is still under development
– balances large numbers of electricity generators, consumers
and storage devices for electrical energy in the most
energy and cost-efficient manner, and it can also revolutionize
our mobility. Just imagine a global network of cars, trams,
trains, buses, bicycles and mopeds – all powered with electricity
from renewable energy carriers – which are interlinked
with each other in such a way that everybody on earth can access
the most appropriate means of transportation at any time.
Maybe ships and airplanes can join in as well.
Impossible? But why? What is only just beginning with Smart
Grids in the electricity sector definitely does not need to end
there. We already have all the necessary pieces in our hands,
now we just need to put them together intelligently.
In any case, the Kyoto Protocol sets out a reduction of greenhouse
gases which is binding under international law – and
transportation is one of the key culprits. Not to mention the
fact that the current economic crisis is having a serious impact
on the automotive industry. Plus – of course – oil reserves will
run out in due course.
But none of this will be a problem if we learn how to tune in
to making the best use of our mobility
Willi Sieber, Austrian Ecology Institute
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