At this year’s SingularityU South Africa Summit, Dr Carlo van de Weijer, GM AT Eindhoven AI Systems Institute, shared his vision for how Africa can harness emerging technologies to leapfrog when it comes to transportation and create a more sustainable future.
“The electric vehicle will be, by far, the cheaper option and therefore it will win,” Dr Van de Wiejer says.
He explained during his keynote – The future of mobility: How Africa moves into the future – that due to advancements in battery technology and manufacturing, as well as economies of scale, electric vehicles (EVs) will soon become significantly more affordable than traditional internal combustion engine vehicles – making them accessible to a wider segment of the African population.
Dr Van de Weijer says that EVs can support and stabilise the power grid by strategically charging during off-peak hours, countering concerns about their impact on energy infrastructure in a country like South Africa that has regularly experienced electricity blackouts in recent decades.
As battery technology advances and costs decline, the mobility expert is particularly excited about the potential for electric regional air mobility in Africa.
“It is possible, not for the big [planes], but for the small ones.” He notes that China’s Ehang is developing a 19- and a 40-seater electric aircraft which could connect South Africa and Africa’s smaller regional airports in a clean, cost-effective and silent way.
Though he does note that it won’t replace aviation as we know it today – for now – and will probably still use some form of fuel.
Dr Van de Weijer believes that sustainable aviation fuels, synthetic fuels – or “e-fuels” as they are sometimes called – will play a crucial role in decarbonising long-haul transportation. He highlighted that it was a case of “when” rather than “if”, combined with the question of cost.
At the same time, he debunked the popular myth of flying cars as seen in The Jetsons, a children’s sitcom from 1962 set in 2062, stating that “drones are not the future of mobility, because they are not scalable”. Dr Van de Weijer adds that while visually appealing, the concept of individual flying vehicles is impractical and unsustainable for mass transportation, especially in densely populated African cities.
Addressing the safety concerns around autonomous vehicles, Dr van de Weijer acknowledged the ethical challenges but remained optimistic.
“Self-driving is already really, really good.” He shared his experiences of testing self-driving cars in China where the vehicles demonstrated impressive manoeuvring abilities, even in complex traffic situations. This needs to be coupled with investments in safer road infrastructure, he urged, while noting the significant return on investment in road safety measures, particularly in preventing accidents involving young people.
Most notably, he cautioned politicians and governments against car-centric urban development. Instead, he encouraged cities to prioritise public transport, cycling infrastructure, and pedestrian-friendly spaces to create more liveable and sustainable urban environments.
“A city doesn’t need driverless cars,” he says. “It needs car-less drivers – people using public transport and bicycling.”
Pointing to the Netherlands as an example, he encouraged African cities to embrace cycling infrastructure and to prioritise public transport to create more sustainable urban environments.
“It is up to us,” Dr Van de Weijer told delegates. “You’re all in positions to influence this debate.”