Utopia or nightmare? The answer lies in how we embrace self-driving, electric and shared vehicles

Emerging transport disruptions could lead to a series of nightmare scenarios and poorer transport systems unless we have sensible and informed public policy to avoid this. Of course, some foresee a utopian scene: self-driving electric vehicles zipping around our cities serving all our transport needs without road accidents or exhaust fumes. But the shift to this transport utopia might not be as straightforward as some think.

In a newly published paper, we explore some potential problems linked to vehicle electrification, autonomous vehicles, the sharing economy and the increasing density of cities. We examined what could happen if these four trends are not all properly managed together.

Read by the piece on The Conversation by Michael Kane and Jake Whitehead - “Utopia or nightmare? The answer lies in how we embrace self-driving, electric and shared vehicles.”

Umair Haque discusses 'The Chaos Factor'

A polar bear on an ever shrinking piece of ice
symbolizes Umair Haque's chaos factor.

We’ve grown up in a world like a warm blanket. Safe and secure, peaceful and placid. Every now and then, something might jerk us awake, like a nightmare. But on the whole, life was tranquil, calm, simple.

Only now the threads of that blanket are beginning to fray. What I’ll call the world’s chaos factor is spiking, and I don’t think it’s going back down. At least not in our lifetimes, and probably beyond.

Chaos factor. What do I mean? I’m not a big fan of pseudo-quantification. But it consists of the following elements. Global political order, stable broadly shared economic growth, and social cohesion. Translation: international agreements, real leaders, thriving middle classes, and life changing breakthroughs. No, not the iPhone 7. Antibiotics.

Read Umair Haque’s opinion on “The Chaos Factor.”