🚋 Mobility Futures #23

Happy Monday 👋

California is set to ban new gasoline car sales by 2035, accelerating the shift to electric vehicles. Korean Air will directly manage ground operations in Japan, becoming the first foreign airline to bypass local contractors. Saudi Arabia’s Riyadh Metro added 38.4 km of new lines under its $22.5B Vision 2030 plan, featuring energy-efficient trains and future clean energy integration. In maritime news, China extended its lead over Greece as the world’s largest shipowning nation, with nearly 30 million additional gross tonnage. Meanwhile, Korean Air completed its acquisition of Asiana Airlines, consolidating South Korea’s aviation sector and streamlining domestic operations.

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.

HolonIQ's new skills newsletter is here! Get updates on emerging skills, workforce shifts, and industry insights across impact sectors. Subscribe now to stay ahead.

🚘 Ground Mobility

🚗 California Aims to Ban New Gas Car Sales by 2035. California's air resources board is expected to finalize a rule next week that would ban the sale of new gasoline-powered cars and light trucks by 2035, a potential major boost for electric vehicles.

🚗 Autonomous Driving Updates: Switzerland’s Federal Council passed an ordinance regulating automated driving, effective March 1, 2025. General Motors decided to abandon robotaxi development and pivot its Cruise subsidiary toward personally owned vehicles. Meanwhile, Waymo is set to deploy 25 autonomous vehicles in Tokyo in 2025, partnering with local taxi companies. Additionally, Mercedes-Benz received approval in Germany for its DRIVE PILOT system, enabling Level 3 autonomous driving at speeds up to 95 km/h.

🚗 Malaysia's First Locally Made Electric Vehicle Unveiled. Malaysian automaker Proton unveiled the country's first locally-produced electric vehicle on Monday after the government pledged to boost EV uptake on the roads.

🛬 Aviation

✈️ Korean Air to Directly Handle Ground Operations in Japan. Korean Air will start directly handling the ground operations for its flights at Japanese airports next month, becoming the first foreign airline to do so without contracting local companies.

🚁 Eve Air Mobility and Signature Aviation Sign AAM Support Deal. Eve Air Mobility, an aerospace company, and Signature Aviation, a global fixed-base operator, signed an agreement to support advanced air mobility operations.

🚁 RIOgaleão and MICAELIS Launch Sustainable Air Mobility Partnership. RIOgaleão and MICAELIS have partnered to advance sustainable air mobility using eVTOL aircraft and integrated vertiport solutions. The partnership aims to revolutionize urban transportation and set new standards for sustainable aviation in Brazil.

🚋 Rail

🚇 Riyadh Metro Expands with New Lines. The Royal Commission for Riyadh City (RCRC) in Saudi Arabia opened two new metro lines totaling 38.4 km on December 15. Part of the $22.5B Vision 2030 initiative, the project enhances urban mobility with energy-efficient trains and plans for clean energy integration.

🌱 SBB Trains to Run on 100% Renewable Energy. The Swiss Federal Railways (SBB) announced that starting from January 1, 2025, all of its trains will run on traction power that comes entirely from renewable sources.

🚆 First RegioPanter battery trains enter operation in Czechia. Czechia deployed its first RegioPanter battery trains on the rail network in the Moravian-Silesian region. With advanced LTO batteries enabling up to 80 km of travel on a single charge, the modern trains aim to enhance connectivity, sustainability, and passenger comfort. 

🚢 Marine

⛴️ China Extends Lead over Greece as World's Largest Shipowning Nation. According to data from Clarksons Research, China is increasing its lead over Greece as the world's largest shipowning nation, now stretching to nearly 30 million gross tonnage.

⚓️ Baltic Exchange Launches FuelEU Calculator for Shipowners. The Baltic Exchange, an organization in the shipping industry, launched a FuelEU calculator to help shipowners understand the financial and commercial implications of new regulations.

⛵ Hyundai Subsidiary Avikus to Equip 30 Ships with Autonomous Navigation Tech. Avikus, a subsidiary of HD Hyundai specializing in autonomous navigation technology, secured an order to outfit 30 vessels with its HiNAS Control autonomous navigation 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.

🚗 The Metropolitan Education District (MetroED) has received nearly $1 million in funding for its Silicon Valley Career Technical Education (SVCTE). The grant, part of the K12 Strong Workforce Program, will help community colleges expand career technical education and workforce training, preparing students for high-wage employment in sustainable industries such as EV technology and clean diesel technologies.

🛠️ Kinetic Green Energy and Power Solutions has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with Vishwakarma Institutes and University. This initiative aims to advance concept development, skill-based training, and education. The partnership will provide hands-on training, practical exposure, and real-world experience, while VI&U will adapt its curriculum to meet industry needs.

💰 The Albanese and Allan Labor Governments have allocated $50 million to launch the Melbourne Polytechnic Future of Housing Construction Centre of Excellence. This center will focus on advanced construction training and Modern Methods of Construction, aiming to enhance workforce productivity and serve as a hub for applied research in the sector.

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

✈️ Korean Air Acquires Asiana Airlines. Korean Air acquired new shares of Asiana Airlines and incorporated them into its subsidiary, integrating the domestic aviation industry.

✈️ Abu Dhabi's 2PointZero Invests in Archer Aviation's $430M Funding Round. Archer Aviation, a US air-taxi maker, raised $430M in funding, with a portion coming from Abu Dhabi's 2PointZero. The funds will be used to develop a hybrid aircraft in partnership with Anduril Industries.

🔋 Camp Pendleton Secures $42M Grant for Zinc-Ion Battery Storage. Camp Pendleton, one of the busiest military installations in the US, is awarded a $42M grant from California's Long Duration Energy Storage program. The grant will allow International Electric Power to install a 6 MW zinc-ion battery storage system at the installation.

🚌 BP Ventures invests $9M in ZingBus to supercharge India's EV-powered future. bp Ventures, the venture capital arm of British oil and gas company bp, invested $9M in Indian mobility startup ZingBus, leading its Series A funding round.

🚚 Loadar secures $4M seed funding for US expansion in logistics. Loadar, a freight procurement and management tool, raised $4M in seed funding to expand its operations in the US and target the $9 trillion logistics market.

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