According to the International Energy Agency, 10 per cent of passenger vehicles sold globally in 2022 were all-electric – ten times more than were sold five years ago. In sub-Saharan Africa, where solar energy is abundant, electric vehicles (EVs) represent a pathway to a low-cost, low-emissions transport future – which is not only great news in terms of tackling the climate crisis, but also in terms of improving air quality in many cities. Nairobi in Kenya is the fourth most congested city in the world, and suffers from air pollution that consistently exceeds World Health Organization guidelines. Kenyan electric transport company Roam is building affordable, clean energy vehicles which promise to revolutionise transport in Africa.
To date, mass adoption of EVs in African countries has not been possible because most models are not designed for use in Africa, where the vast majority of travellers rely on various forms of public transport rather than private vehicles. While road conditions are generally good in the Kenyan capital, some remain unsurfaced and so develop potholes. And once you are out of the city centre, less than six per cent of roads in Kenya are tarmacked. To overcome this challenge, Kenyan electric mobility company Roam Electric has designed a range of specifically adapted e-motorbikes and buses suitable for African terrain.
The bikes are an affordable and efficient solution for Nairobi’s Boda Boda taxi drivers, who give commuters lifts on motorbikes. The Roam bikes can cut the drivers’ costs by 50 per cent and are more attractive to customers as they offer a smoother ride. For the 43 per cent of Nairobians who use public transport, the ‘Roam Move’ and ‘Roam Rapid’ electric buses have helped to create a more integrated public transport system that can bring people in from more rural areas.
Like other cities around the world, Nairobi is growing fast, and around 200,000 fossil-fuelled vehicles are added to its roads each year. Roam Electric promises a viable alternative, tailored to suit the specific needs of the city’s landscape and people; a model that can be developed and adapted across Sub-Saharan Africa.
In Hong Kong’s fast-paced Central District, local practice MR Studio has modelled this fitness studio on a futuristic Martian dwelling to offer members an escape from their busy lives.
Gym Town‘s entryway and reception are finished entirely in an an earthy shade of orange, chosen to reflect the colours of Mars, while moody black workout areas were designed to allow visitors to focus on their individual health goals.
Gym Town is entered via a dramatic escalator
“We wanted to create a unique and immersive experience for gym-goers,” MR Studio founder Myron Kwan told Dezeen. “The concept of Mars was chosen to represent escapism and a sense of adventure.”
“Inspired by Elon Musk’s vision of colonising Mars, we wanted to create a space that felt futuristic and cutting-edge.”
The gym’s reception doubles as a lounge
The studio created a bespoke sculptural lighting piece that can be seen from the street to create a sense of intrigue about the gym.
From the entrance, members are taken up to the lobby by an escalator. In a bid to make this ascent feel like an event, MR Studio turned the space into a tunnel-like “portal” that provides a sense of voyage.
Bespoke lights were modelled on satellite dishes
Around the escalator, the walls undulate to create a series of vertical ridges, designed to add depth and visual interest while suggesting walls that have buckled under the heat of the red planet.
“By using the tunnel-like form, we wanted to create a visually striking feature that would set the tone for the entire space,” Kwan said.
“The tunnel creates a sense of anticipation and excitement as guests enter,” he added. “The design itself aims to transport visitors to another world.
Decorative rocks are fixed to the ceiling
The escalator delivers members into a large reception area, arranged as a lounge with various seating areas.
One of the challenges of the project was the absence of natural light, which MR Studio addressed with a feature ceiling light.
Composed of concentric circles with an illuminated core, it suggests both a natural skylight and the crater-studded terrain of Mars.
Curves and circles feature heavily throughout Gym Town, from wavy walls and rounded furniture to lights inspired by the form of a satellite dish.
“Custom-made table lamps adorned with sleek metal finishes and cracked glass details capture the silhouette of high-gain antennas used in space exploration,” the studio explained.
The room is centred on a semi-circular brass-wrapped reception desk, which doubles as a bar during events or after-hours gatherings.
Rooms get progressively darker
The walls here feature the same dusty red-orange finish as the entrance tunnel, while decorative rocks are fixed to the ceiling.
“Envisioned as a modern Martian house, the space is painted in a textured monochromatic palette of tangerine, referencing the iconic red planet’s signature colour and rough terrain,” said Kwan.
“It adds vibrancy and warmth to the space, creating a visually intriguing element that complements the overall design theme.”
The workout areas are finished in muted black and grey tones
Progressing into the changing rooms, workout areas and studios, the colour palette shiftsto more sober greys and blacks.
“To encourage members to fully devote to their fitness routines, the workout area is grounded in an organic and unpretentious style,” the studio said.
Orange accents delineate different areas
Gym Town has been shortlisted in the health and wellbeing interior category at this year’s Dezeen Awards.
Also in the running is the dusty-pink welfare centre of a boys’ school in Melbourne and a pediatric clinic in Seattle with “no blank walls”.
Spotted: If you’ve ever ventured out of a city, you’ll know that transportation in rural areas is often unreliable. This leaves people immobilised, often cornering locals to purchase vehicles of their own. Having reliable, shared transportation in these areas is not only a more affordable solution for residents but a more sustainable one too: helping minimise the number of combustion-engine vehicles on the road. UK-based RideTandem decided to put this idea into action, turning local transport providers into smart shuttles for work and educational needs.
To mobilise those in rural areas, the startup has partnered up with local taxi, minicab, and coach companies. Using an app, RideTandem matches these transport partners to those wanting to book a ride into a shared vehicle. The result is an affordable shuttle-type service for commuters living in areas with poor and expensive transport links.
“Even before the cost-of-living crisis hit, public transport outside of big cities was broken – expensive, unreliable, or simply not there for people who need it,” explains RideTandem co-founder and CEO Alex Shapland-Howes. He adds: “Almost 5,000 bus services – more than one in four – were axed between 2012 and 2022. Many that remain, especially outside cities and large towns, are under threat from the recent end of the Bus Recovery Grant.”
Following a recent seed funding, RideTandem has now raised £2.3 million (around €2.7 million) with the aim of extending its reach beyond the UK.
Springwise has previously spotted other innovations in the archive aimed at increasing mobility through ride-sharing, from a company that offers ride-sharing in greener vehicles and remote-piloted shared cars in Las Vegas.
The most obvious recent development in transport has been the ongoing shift in how we power our vehicles. And although the roll-out of electric vehicles (EVs) has been uneven – with China, the US, and Europe leading the way – significant progress has been made. In fact, in 2022, the world passed a key milestone, with EVs making up 10 per cent of all new cars sold. EVs are also one of the few areas where the International Energy Agency deems the world to be on track to meet its net zero 2050 scenario.
However, although there remains some way to go before all cars on the road are electric – if indeed that point is ever reached – EVs are in some ways old news. As Susan Cox-Smith, a partner and director at Changeist puts it: “The tipping point for electric vehicles has already been hit.”
For our Future 2043 Report, we took a much longer view when asking the world’s leading futurists how we will move around in the year 2043. Will the idea of the personal or family car still be around in 20 years’ time – even if we wean our vehicles off fossil fuels? Well, in Cox-Smith’s view: “full ownership will probably decline as micro-rentals and shared vehicles become the norm.”
So if the car owner is out, what about the driver? Will autonomous vehicles – long predicted by technologists – be accepted by the mainstream? And what will this mean for our legal and ethical systems?
“Ethically and psychologically, I see driverless cars as a major step towards redefining a shift in social responsibility, that will likely have repercussions for other industries from medicine to food,” explains creative technologist Jude Pullen.
How we will move around in the future is one of the big unanswered questions. But, in the meantime, discover three innovations that might provide us with a clue. Will we even do away with roads Back to the Future style?
SOLAR-POWERED TUK-TUKS COULD BE COMING TO A CITY NEAR YOU
Increasingly, those interested in city planning and energy saving have been pointing out that it just doesn’t make sense to transport people or smaller amounts of goods around urban areas in traditional vehicles – even EVs. Cars are large, heavy, and energy-intensive. Startup Infinite Mobility has developed an alternative – a solar-powered tuk-tuk designed for last-mile deliveries, or to efficiently carry just one or two people. Read more
STARTUP PLANS TO CREATE A WORLDWIDE NETWORK OF FLYING TAXI AND CARGO DRONE HUBS
The urban air mobility market is on the up, with forecasts predicting it could reach $1 trillion in the next 20 years. From flying taxis to delivery drones, emerging technologies have the potential to transform how people and goods move around cities, by-passing congested road transport systems by – literally – rising above them. To date, most of the investment has gone into the development of flying vehicles themselves. But a lack of ground infrastructure remains a limitation on the mass roll-out of these vehicles. To fill this infrastructure gap, UK-based Urban-Air Port intends to build 200 advanced air transport hubs – called ‘vertiports’ – around the world. Read more
ELECTRIC FLYING CAR COMPLETES PUBLIC EXHIBITION FLIGHT
Flying cars are becoming a reality. China’s XPENG mobility technology experts recently completed a public flight of the electric flying car XPENG X2 at an event at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The zero-emission vehicle is a two-seater car that uses vertical lift-off and landing to transition from road travel to air. Designed specifically for the complexities of urban driving, the X2 flies at low altitude and can be driven manually or autonomously. Read more
Want to discover more about what the world will look like in 2043? Download our free Future 2043 report which draws on the insights of 20 of the world’s leading futurists.For more innovations, head to the Springwise Innovation Library.
After a year that saw designers come up with numerous ideas for how to decarbonise transport, we round up 10 of the most interesting as part of our review of 2022.
Transport accounts for around a fifth of global carbon dioxide emissions and has the highest reliance on fossil fuels of any sector, according to the International Energy Agency.
Ranging from concepts to products set for mass manufacture, the designs featured in this list seek to reduce emissions from cars, planes, boats or motorbikes and to boost cycling.
Read on for Dezeen’s top 10 sustainable transport designs of 2022:
Image courtesy of Layer
Pendler by Layer
This concept electric bike from design studio Layer, which aims to tackle the pain points of urban commuting, has a distinctive U-shaped frame, a concealed motor and detachable timber accessories.
Designed with a “crafted” aesthetic, the Pendler is intended to provide built-in solutions to the challenges associated with city cycling, such as storage, fitting the bike on public transport and navigating traffic.
Find out more about Pendler ›
Image by Madhav Dua
Arrival Multi-Utility Farming Vehicle by Madhav Dua
Indian designer Madhav Dua came up with an idea for a multifunctional, customisable electric tractor that would make modern tools more affordable to Indian farmers, making agriculture more efficient.
It also features solar panels that provide energy to a mobile electricity reserve that could be used to power farmers’ homes.
The concept won first place in Dezeen’s Future Mobility Competition, a global design contest powered by electric vehicle brand Arrival.
Find out more about Arrival Multi-Utility Farming Vehicle ›
Photo courtesy of X Shore
X Shore 1 by X Shore
In a bid to bring electric boats to a wider audience, Swedish company X Shore launched this model that it says is priced competitively with fossil-fuel vessels.
To reduce costs, the 6.5-metre-long boat was made light and efficient enough that it only needs a single battery to run, also reducing its carbon footprint.
Find out more about X Shore 1 ›
Photo courtesy of Lightyear
Lightyear 0 by Lightyear
Dubbed the “world’s first production-ready” solar-powered car when launched this year, the Lightyear 0 is an electric car that has photovoltaic panels covering its roof, bonnet and boot to charge its battery while driving.
In an interview with Dezeen, the chief executive of the Dutch startup Lightyear Emanuele Cornagliotti predicted that solar cars will be “normal within 20 years”.
Find out more about Lightyear ›
Image courtesy of Van Geest Design and Rob Doyle Design
Domus by Van Geest Design and Rob Doyle Design
While X Shore was exploring how to make electric boats more affordable, yacht design studios Van Geest Design and Rob Doyle Design were working on a concept for a luxury trimaran that is “truly zero-emission”.
The 40-metre Domus would be powered by a combination of hydrogen fuel cells, hydro generation and solar energy.
UK architecture studio Zaha Hadid was also looking at electric yachts this year, presenting its concept for the photovoltaic-covered Oneiric at Milan design week.
Find out more about Domus ›
Photo by Mikita Yo
Cambio by the city of Milan
A key aspect of decarbonising transport is encouraging people to take more of their journeys by bike, with many cities coming up with plans to become more cycling-friendly after the coronavirus pandemic.
Among them is Milan, which in early 2022 committed to constructing the Cambio network of 24 cycle highways by 2035 based on data about the daily movements of its residents. These will be accompanied by dedicated bicycle parking stations, physical and digital wayfinding displays and low-impact lighting.
Find out more about Cambio ›
Photo courtesy of Volkswagen
ID Buzz by Volkswagen
Electric vehicle launches came thick and fast in 2022, and among the most interesting was the ID Buzz by Volkswagen.
The van is an electrified update of the German carmaker’s famous T1 Transporter camper van, which became associated with the hippie movement of the 1960s and 70s, and has the same flat front and a similar V-shaped face as the original.
Find out more about the ID Buzz ›
Photo courtesy of Stilride
SUS1 by Stilride
Swedish startup Stilride this year unveiled the Sport Utility Scooter One (SUS1), an electric scooter built using an unusual origami-like process that reduces the amount of material used, limiting the environmental impact of manufacture.
While conventional scooters consist of a tubular frame and a plastic body, the SUS1’s chassis is constructed by taking a single sheet of stainless steel and cutting and folding it.
Find out more about SUS1 ›
Photo courtesy of Cake
Anti-Poaching bikes by Cake
Another interesting example of an electric motorcycle seeking to cut carbon emissions is the anti-poaching series from Swedish brand Cake.
The solar-charged bikes were created specifically for use by rangers in the South African bush, allowing them to quietly approach illegal animal poachers thanks to the lack of engine noise while also negating the need for polluting petrol deliveries by truck or helicopter.
Find out more about Cake Anti-Poaching bikes ›
Photo courtesy of Rolls-Royce and EasyJet
Hydrogen jet engine by Rolls-Royce and EasyJet
Aviation is a major contributor to global transport emissions, and while there are still doubts over whether it will ever be practical to fuel planes with hydrogen, 2022 saw the world’s first test of a commercial jet engine powered by the non-carbon-emitting element.
British airline EasyJet and engineering company Rolls-Royce used renewably-made hydrogen to power a converted Rolls-Royce AE 2100 aircraft engine.
The technology is still in its infancy, but Rolls-Royce chief technology officer Grazia Vittadini called the test “an exciting milestone”.
Spotted: Having experienced life in a bike seat as a bicycle messenger in Vienna, the founder of GLEAM e-bikes put his on-the-road experience into creating a multi-use vehicle that easily handles the complexities of urban cycling. To create something that can easily compete with the carrying capacity of a car, yet with the freedom that biking provides, GLEAM uses a three-wheeled base to carry a multitude of types of cargo.
Leisure users can carry up to two children as well as bags and other goods. Businesses can choose from two sizes of cargo boxes, as well as an insulated option, and all versions are customisable for branding and advertising. The cargo containers lock, and for other transport needs, there is a further three sizes of covered trailer to choose from.
Dynamic Tilting Technology ensures that passengers and cargo stay level when travelling over uneven surfaces, and the base can be resized as needed depending on what is being carried. The motor is quiet and reaches top speeds of more than 25 kilometres per hour. The company provides a range of manuals and video guides for setting up and using the bike and offers a variety of custom design options. Each order takes four to six weeks to fulfill, and customers only need to mount the front wheel when the bike arrives.
The need to make cycling more accessible in order to combat air pollution is leading to innovations such as zip-on tyre treads for cold weather biking and e-rickshaws that reuse old EV batteries.
