Sustainable Mobility GRA in Action Series: Q & A with Daniel Ernesto Moser, Management Head at TUMI

Earlier this year, the Sustainable Mobility for All (SuM4All) initiative launched the GRA in Action series, which deep-dives on cutting-edge areas of interest to achieve sustainable mobility.  This series is part of a broader effort to make the content of the “Global Roadmap of Action Toward Sustainable Mobility (GRA)” flagship product of the initiative more actionable for country decision-makers.

The first paper in this series, "Sustainable Mobility: Policy Making for Data Sharing" was released last month. Ahead of the launch of the second paper in this series, "Sustainable Electric Mobility: Building Blocks and Policy Recommendations", the SuM4All Secretariat’s Communications team caught up with Daniel Ernesto Moser, Management Head at Transformative Urban Mobility Initiative (TUMI) of Deutsche Gesellschaft für Internationale Zusammenarbeit (GIZ), and co-lead of SuM4all’s working group on e-mobility. He shared insights into what to expect from the paper and how policymakers can take the recommendations beyond words into action.

Here is what Daniel shared with us:

SuM4All Comms team: From your experience of co-leading the E-Mobility Working Group of the SuM4all partnership, what has been one surprising element from your upcoming report?

Daniel: It is striking that despite the COVID-19 crisis the E-Mobility momentum has been increasing. We see a lot of political backing and interest building up in the run-up to COP26. Worldwide, more than 17 national and local governments have already decided or planned the end of the internal combustion engine in passenger cars. The outcome of the SUM4All working group co-led by TUMI and UITP aims to capitalize on this momentum and the high attention for E-Mobility to promote a broader transformation of the mobility sector. Nevertheless, there are some tough questions to address about the right policy framework. We need to ensure that e-mobility is part of an integrated system geared toward sustainable mobility. The paper identifies essential building blocks and policy recommendations for promoting e-mobility in certain contexts.

Reflecting on current developments, we see clear dynamics in terms of growth and price reduction of batteries that improve the viability and competitiveness of electric mobility applications. Automobile manufacturers with a 76% market share have announced exits from the internal combustion engine market. We can also detect a high growth for smaller vehicles – such as electric two and three-wheelers – which do provide extraordinary opportunities to improve access and support inclusive climate action in the transport sector. We are also observing interesting dynamics in heavy vehicle battery-electric markets such as electric busses and freight, with investments taking off across these sectors.

SuM4All Comms team: What is one of the key recommendations your paper makes to country decision-makers?

Daniel: It is important to emphasize that E-Mobility technology can potentially apply to a wide range of transportation modes: electric bikes, two- and three-wheeler vehicles, electric cars, busses, trucks, trains, as well as shipping and aviation. While all modes can be electrified (rail, tram, buses, bikes, delivery vehicles, etc.), EV Policy should combine electrification of the existing fleet with promoting a modal shift toward more efficient modes such as walking, electric cycling, and use of public transport. Policymakers should understand the speed of the dynamics and layout a coordinated long-term framework accordingly. The paper gives further insights on how to deliver this while maximizing its contribution to the development of sustainable mobility, policymakers should move ahead by also expanding the low carbon electricity supply capacity and grid flexibility jointly with electric mobility rollouts.

SuM4All Comms team: Where do we go from here? What is needed to translate this work into action and help countries achieve resilient and sustainable transport and mobility? And how do we ensure that the policy recommendations are put into practice?

Daniel: What we need, is what is outlined in the Action Fields of the paper: Vision, Policy, and Implementation. First: Articulate a compelling and shared vision for the development of electric mobility. Second: Design a suitable policy and regulatory framework. Third: Think about implementation! Professionalize the sector, build capacity, and roll out E-Mobility through pilot projects to learn and scale-up.

Join us for the official launch and deep-dive conversation to learn more about the report at the upcoming event, “E-mobility in Action: What will it take?”

Click here to register and secure your spot.

Also read: Experts answer: Can electric mobility help countries achieve sustainable development?