🚋 Mobility Futures #25

Happy Monday 👋

The UK emerged as Europe’s largest EV market, surpassing Germany, fueled by its EV sales mandate despite a regional demand slowdown. In Italy, bus and coach registrations reached a record high of nearly 5,000 in 2024, marking a 20% YoY growth, per ANFIA data. Xpeng showcased its Aeroht flying car at CES 2025, highlighting China's advancements in eVTOL technology. Meanwhile, China is testing the CR450, the world’s fastest commercial train prototype, with speeds up to 450km/h. Globally, shipbuilding orders reached a 17-year peak, though green methanol shortages have prompted reliance on LNG. Tesla received $250M in UK government grants since 2016, mainly through the plug-in car grant program.

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

🚗 UK Becomes Europe's Largest Electric Vehicle Market. The UK overtook Germany to become Europe's largest EV market, driven by the country's EV sales mandate which helped it defy a regional demand slowdown. Furthermore, the Italian bus market saw a record number of nearly 5,000 bus and coach registrations in 2024, a 20% YoY increase, according to data from industry organization ANFIA.

💰 Hyundai Motor Group will invest $16.7B in South Korea. Hyundai Motor Group, a major South Korean automotive company, announced plans to invest $16.65B in South Korea in 2025.

🌱 Lotte Chemical Develops Eco-Friendly Plastics for Automobiles. Lotte Chemical is expanding its development of eco-friendly plastic materials for mobility in cooperation with Hyundai Motor and Kia. The company is participating in an eco-friendly plastic material development project led by the automakers.

🛬 Aviation

🚗 Xpeng unveils flying car at CES 2025. Chinese EV maker Xpeng unveiled its flying car prototype called Aeroht at the CES electronics show in Las Vegas, as part of China's push to lead in electric vertical take-off and landing (eVTOL) vehicle technology.

🚁 GAC Group Launches New eVTOL Brand and Aircraft. China's GAC Group, an automaker, launched a new brand called GOVY focused on eVTOL aircraft, along with unveiling their first eVTOL model called the GOVY AirJet.

✈️ Delta Air Lines Tests Fuel-Saving Flight Formation. Delta Air Lines is testing a new fuel-saving flight formation inspired by migrating geese to reduce emissions and improve sustainability in the aviation industry.

🚋 Rail

🚄 China trials the world's fastest commercial train. China is testing a prototype of the CR450 passenger train, claimed to be the world's fastest commercial train, with a top speed of 450km/h and an operational speed of 400km/h.

🚆 Vietnam SuperPort signs a deal to develop rail logistics. Vietnam SuperPort signed an agreement with the Vietnamese government, China Railway, and a Vietnamese construction company to develop rail logistics.

🚄 Poland Plans High-Speed Rail Line. Poland announced plans to build a 480 km high-speed rail line by 2035 to connect major cities. The line will enable 100-minute travel between major cities and is expected to generate significant benefits for Poland’s growing rail industry. 

🚢 Marine

⚓️ Record Shipbuilding Orders in 2024. The global shipbuilding industry achieved its highest order intake in 17 years in 2024, but a green methanol shortage is pushing shipbuilders to rely on LNG as an alternative fuel for new vessels.

⚓️ ANELLO Photonics Unveils Maritime Navigation System at CES 2025. ANELLO Photonics, a leader in high-precision inertial navigation systems, launched its Maritime Inertial Navigation System at CES 2025. The system utilizes ANELLO's patented Silicon Photonic Optical Gyroscope technology to provide highly accurate and reliable navigation for maritime vessels.

⛽ EU Marine Fuel Rules to Increase Shipping Costs. The European Union's new marine fuel rules aimed at reducing emissions will lead to higher shipping costs starting from January 2025. Ships over 5,000 gross tons must lower emissions from their bunker fuels or face penalties.

🛠️ 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.

🧑‍🔧 Suzlon and Andhra Pradesh Launch Green Skill Development Initiative. Suzlon Group and Andhra Pradesh State Skill Development Corporation (APSSDC) have partnered to establish India’s largest skill development program. This initiative will train 12,000 individuals, including 3,000 women, in renewable energy skills over four years. Focus areas include wind power manufacturing and operations. The program also introduces a structured curriculum for engineering institutions and global content integration, aiming to bridge the renewable energy skill gap and foster a future-ready workforce.

💡 Argonne Hosts Global Women Energy Leaders Training Program. Argonne National Laboratory, in collaboration with the DOE’s Net Zero World Initiative, hosted the Climate Smart Women Energy Leaders (CSWEL) program, training 12 women leaders from partner countries in sustainable energy. The program featured technical sessions on advanced technologies, leadership workshops, and faculty tours, equipping participants to advance energy solutions tailored to their nations. Emphasizing collaboration and capacity building, CSWEL fosters a global network of women leaders poised to drive sustainable energy innovation and policy implementation worldwide.

⚡ DOE Expands Workforce Development with Spring 2025 Internship Programs. The US Department of Energy (DOE) announced that 164 undergraduate students and six faculty members will engage in workforce development programs at 11 national labs and a fusion facility this spring. Participants will gain hands-on research experience through the SULI, CCI, and VFP initiatives, fostering careers in science and technology. Notably, 29% of students and 50% of faculty represent Minority Serving Institutions.

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

🚗 Tesla Receives Substantial UK Government Grants. Tesla, the electric vehicle company led by Elon Musk, received nearly $250M in grants from the UK government since 2016, with the bulk of the funds related to the government's plug-in car grant program.

🚚 Serve Robotics Raises $86M to Bolster Last-Mile Delivery. Serve Robotics, a company focused on transforming last-mile delivery, secured $86M in new financing in December to strengthen its liquidity position.

💰 Toyota Receives a $4.5M Grant from the U.S. Department of Energy. Toyota Motor North America, a subsidiary of the Japanese automaker Toyota, is awarded a $4.5M grant from the U.S. Department of Energy.

💰 Dubai Aerospace Enterprise acquires Nordic Aviation Capital. Dubai Aerospace Enterprise, a company based in Dubai, announced the acquisition of Nordic Aviation Capital, an aircraft leasing firm. The terms of the transaction were not disclosed.

🚢 Pangaea Logistics Solutions Completes Merger and Fleet Combination. Pangaea Logistics Solutions Ltd. completed the previously announced merger with Quintana Shipping Inc. and the combination of the two companies operating fleets.

✈️ Atlantic Aviation Acquires Ferrovial Vertiports. Atlantic Aviation, a company in the aerospace industry, acquired Ferrovial Vertiports. The acquired company will now operate under the name VertiPorts by Atlantic.

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