Following a year in which we haven’t been able to travel much further than our living rooms, the evolution of the mobility industry has showed no signs of slowing down. The modes of transport people are using have continued to evolve, the ways in which consumers and businesses own and insure these solutions have continued to adapt and as the industry becomes increasingly sustainable many businesses have innovated to stay ahead of this curve.
Trends such as the rise of micro-mobility, the surging demand for electric vehicles and the more future-gazing transition towards autonomous driving have continued at pace over the last twelve months. Numerous eScooter trials have launched across the country with varying degrees of success, EV uptake has reached the milestone of half a million vehicles around the country and the government has announced that vehicles equipped with automated lane keeping systems (ALKS) are to become road legal by the end of 2021.
While manufacturers such as Tesla and big tech businesses such as Uber have made significant strides forward across several of these areas, there are several businesses in the UK who are driving real innovation within the burgeoning mobility industry. We take a look at some of the brands that are leading the way and helping shape the future of the mobility sector:
Wejo:
One of the early movers in the connected vehicle space, wejo’s team were quick off the mark identifying the untapped potential inherent within the constantly increasing volumes of data being produced by modern day vehicles. Since its launch in 2014 the Cheshire based business has grown significantly, receiving almost £100m in investment in 2019 from General Motors with several rumours that the business has plans to raise a further £250m in capital in 2021.
Wejo’s platform ingests data from millions of vehicles and systems operated by manufacturers, telematics businesses and mobility providers before transforming it in to actionable insights and products that businesses can employ for a variety of applications such as making journeys safer all the way through to helping car park providers map empty spaces. The business’ end goal is to use big data to make mobility ‘safer, smarter and more sustainable’ and having established themselves as the leading global player in the space they are well on their way to achieving this goal.
Tevva:
One of the key issues preventing the widespread adoption of electric vehicles is what is known within the industry as ‘range anxiety’ – essentially a concern from drivers that their batteries will run out before reaching a suitable chargepoint. While there have been several strides forward on this front in the consumer EV market, the commercial vehicle space remains a challenge due to the higher volumes of power that these vehicles require.
Tevva was born to take on this challenge and provide a genuine sustainable alternative to diesel trucks. Tevva’s innovative technologies help to extend the range of its eTrucks, driving the transition towards a zero-emissions future while giving businesses and drivers security in the knowledge that their deliveries can continue uninterrupted with a significantly reduced environmental impact.
Flock:
Operating within an industry that has been unfamiliar with the word innovation since its inception, Flock are providing insurance for the mobility solutions of the 21st Century. Originally focusing on the commercial Drone market Flock has now diversified and launched Flock Motor, a product geared towards the everchanging demands of modern-day fleets.
As the mobility solutions consumers and businesses use become increasingly complex, Flock’s data-driven and agile approach can help not only cover claims when incidents occur but help mitigate against them before they happen. With the Royal Mail recently launching its first commercial drone trial and connected fleets becoming increasingly ubiquitous, the demand for innovative insurance solutions that are fit for our modern day world has never been higher, a perfect storm that Flock are well positioned to capitalise on.
Five (formerly known as Five AI):
Launched by veteran tech entrepreneur Stan Boland, this Cambridge based business is one of the UK’s most exciting prospects when it comes to the autonomous driving revolution. Competing with the deep pockets of businesses such as Tesla, Waymo and Baidu, this British start-up is staking a claim as one of the leading innovators within this market.
The recipients of over $40 million in investment in 2020, the business has ambitious plans to accelerate the development of self-driving vehicles. Using AI and Machine Learning, the company is aiming to make autonomous driving a reality and reshape the cities of the future. Leading the StreetWise coalition, Five conducted hundreds of test rides in London on public roads, a significant milestone in the journey towards regulatory approval. While this legislation may be a little way off, Five are without doubt going to be one of the UK’s leading players when that time comes.
Dott:
Founded in Amsterdam in 2018, Dott are one of Europe’s most exciting up-and-coming micromobility brands. Dott’s mission is to make cities around Europe cleaner and less congested, reducing the environmental impact of transport and providing a legitimate alternative for urban travel.
The business specialise in eScooters however following $85m in VC investment they are now broadening out in to the eBike market. TfL’s London eScooter trial is still pending a final decision however the business have recently announced exciting plans to launch their bikes in the region later this year. Here you can read more about the work we did launching Lime’s eBikes in the UK.
The start-up operates over 30,000 vehicles across Europe and pending regulatory approval, London could be the next big milestone in their continued growth. The sector has become increasingly competitive over the last 18 months so we will be keeping a close eye on how Dott set themselves apart from brands such as Voi and Tier who have been making waves in the London market.
If you would like to find out more about how our PR services could help promote your mobility brand, get in touch with our team of experts today.
