🚋 Mobility Futures #19

Happy Monday 👋

At COP29, three UN bodies—UNECE, ICAO, and IMO—formed a partnership to address transport emissions and accelerate decarbonization. Joby Aviation's electric air taxi will be featured in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024, offering a glimpse into the future of urban air mobility for both Xbox and PC users. Transport for Wales introduced the UK's first tri-mode electric trains for the South Wales Metro, set to replace older units by Spring 2025, supporting sustainable regional transit. OSM Thome, a maritime company, adopted Kaiko Systems to enhance vessel inspections, automate reporting, and improve fleet health management. Additionally, Class8 raised $22M in Series A funding from Xplorer Capital to develop AI-powered solutions that integrate with OEMs, enhancing fleet operations for carriers and drivers.

What's new?

HolonIQ’s new Green Skills Map and Workforce section reveal industry-wide sustainability skills and jobs, as well as workforce development initiatives, supporting upskilling for a sustainable economy.

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🚘 Ground Mobility

🛻 UN bodies unite to tackle transport emissions. At the COP29 climate conference, three UN organizations - UNECE, ICAO, and IMO - formed a partnership to work towards decarbonizing the transport sector.

🚗 US Administration Aims to Unleash Driverless Cars in the US. The Trump administration is working on a federal framework to streamline autonomous vehicle regulations, potentially benefiting Tesla’s robotaxi ambitions. This move, however, still requires Congressional approval for broader action.

🌍 Rwanda to Ban Petrol Motorbike Registrations in Kigali from 2025, Embracing E-Mobility. Rwanda plans to ban the registration of petrol motorbikes in its capital Kigali from 2025 as part of its efforts to reduce greenhouse gas emissions and promote electric mobility.

🛬 Aviation

✈️ Joby Aviation's Electric Air Taxi Featured in Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024. Joby Aviation announced that its electric air taxi will be available for simulated flights in the newly launched Microsoft Flight Simulator 2024 game for Xbox and PC.

✈️ Chinese Flying Taxi Company Conducts Passenger Test Flights in Thailand. Ehang, a Chinese company, conducted test flights with passengers on board in Bangkok, Thailand, without a pilot. The company's eVTOL aircraft can now take off in 18 countries.

✈️ Electric Aircraft Startup AMSL Aero Plans Hydrogen-Powered Flight Tests. AMSL Aero, an electric aircraft startup, will begin hydrogen-fuelled flight testing of its Vertiia aircraft in 2025, to obtain regulatory approvals for commercial flights by 2027.

🚋 Rail

🚆 UK's First Tri-Mode Trains Launch on South Wales Metro. Transport for Wales (TfW) introduced the UK's first tri-mode electric trains on the South Wales Metro. 14 units are set to be in service by Spring 2025, replacing older trains.

🚇 $1.2B Contract Awarded for New AirTrain Newark System. The Port Authority of New York and New Jersey awarded a $1.2B design-build contract to Tutor Perini/O&G Industries joint venture for constructing a new modern AirTrain Newark system.

🚆 Irish Rail Unveils First DART+ Train. Iarnród Éireann (Irish Rail) unveiled the first five-carriage Alstom-built X'trapolis train for Ireland's new DART+ fleet at Inchicore Works in Dublin. The fleet, featuring battery-electric technology, will begin service in 2026.

🚢 Marine

🚢 Maritime Firm Adopts New Inspection System. OSM Thome, a maritime company, implemented Kaiko Systems across its entire fleet to streamline inspections. The system aims to streamline operations, improve vessel health management, and automate reporting.

⚡ World's Largest Electric Ship Uses Battery Swapping. The COSCO Greenwater 01, the world's largest electric ship, is a container ship now operating in China. It uses containerized energy storage to swap batteries.

🚢 DNV and Seatrium Join Forces for Marine Innovation. DNV and Seatrium's MoU fosters innovation in hydrogen platforms, and next-gen Floating production, storage, and offloading, emphasizing sustainability, decarbonization, and enhanced digital and cybersecurity solutions.

🛠️ Skills and Workforce

HolonIQ is now tracking reskilling and upskilling initiatives critical in bridging workforce gaps. Impact industries are rapidly evolving, fueled by technological advancements, decarbonization, geopolitical dynamics, and socio-economic factors. To that extent, these sectors require considerable workforce/professional development initiatives to enhance workers' capabilities, boost economic growth, and promote social well-being. Read on for this week’s insights, and discover more in HolonIQ's latest Skills newsletter.

🌳 Egypt Champions Green Jobs and Skills Development at COP29. Egypt's Minister Rania Al-Mashat, at COP29, spotlighted green job creation as a cornerstone of the global climate agenda. Emphasizing the critical need for skill development in renewable energy, sustainable agriculture, and circular economy sectors, Al-Mashat called for equitable climate finance to enable the Global South to bridge employment and sustainability gaps. Her address underscored the transformative potential of green skills in fostering economic resilience and environmental sustainability.

🏢 University of Tennessee Secures Funding for Green Jobs Initiative. The University of Tennessee, Knoxville, has been awarded a $750,000 grant for East Tennessee Works, a regional green jobs initiative focused on Knoxville’s inner-city and rural Southern Appalachian communities. Over the next three years, the program aims to place 5,000 East Tennesseans into green economy jobs by collaborating with community partners, industry, labor organizations, and educational institutions to provide training in advanced manufacturing and green construction.

🔋 Newcastle Energy Hub to Create Thousands of High-Impact Green Jobs. A new energy hub in Newcastle, led by Britishvolt, is set to create over 2000 green jobs, revolutionizing the local economy. The project focuses on advanced battery production, supporting the UK’s clean energy goals while driving job growth in manufacturing, technology, and sustainability. By prioritizing workforce development and renewable innovation, this initiative underscores the transformative potential of green technologies to generate sustainable employment opportunities and bolster regional economic resilience.

HolonIQ has launched the Green Skills Map, an open-source framework initiated for cataloging, evaluating, and contextualizing the different components of the rapidly expanding field of green jobs. This comprehensive taxonomy will serve as a resource for understanding the full spectrum and complexity of green skills required across various sectors, thereby enabling a cohesive approach toward achieving net zero and decarbonizing the global economy. Green Skills Map spans 11 areas, 54 sub-areas, and 243 green skills clusters. A snippet of the map covering four areas has been included above. Explore the full map on greenskills.org.

💰 Deals of the Week

🚚 Class8 Raises $22M Series A for OEM-Integrated AI Solutions. Class8, formerly known as FleetOps, raised $22M in Series A funding led by Xplorer Capital to empower carriers and drivers with OEM-integrated AI solutions.

🚗 Zeekr Taking Over Lynk & Co at Geely. Geely, the parent company of various automotive brands, is restructuring its operations by having Zeekr take over Lynk & Co.

🚚 Mutares to Acquire VR Road Logistics. Mutares, an organization, is acquiring VR Road Logistics, a company that provides full truckload freight services for industrial clients in sectors like forestry, metals, construction, and mining.

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