🚋 Mobility Futures #28

Happy Monday 👋

This week in the global mobility industry, Genesis Motor, a subsidiary of Hyundai, announced its plans to transition to an all-electric lineup. Meanwhile, major automakers like Ford, Stellantis, and Jaguar have stated they are scaling back their shift to fully electric vehicles, opting to continue producing combustion engine models alongside EVs. While EV sales increased to 17 million units in 2024, the global EV industry has been undergoing a turbulent period as demand slowed down, while increased competition from Chinese brands challenged European car manufacturers. In other mobility news, JCB’s hydrogen engine was approved to be used in commercial machines, providing a potential solution to one of the most hard-to-abate industries in the world. In Air Mobility, the Serbian government is set to acquire eVTOL aircraft for initial deployment in 2027, signaling progress in air mobility. This initiative is part of a broader effort to incorporate sustainable urban transportation solutions into the nation's infrastructure. The attractiveness of eVTOLs was further emphasized by Vertical Aerospace, a British aerospace manufacturer announcing the closing of an upsized $90M underwritten public offering this week. 

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🚘 Ground Mobility

🚗 Genesis to go fully electric by 2025. Genesis, a major car brand, announced its plan to become a fully electrified brand by 2025, marking a significant milestone in its shift towards electric vehicles (EVs) since its launch in the UK in 2021.

🏗️ JCB’s hydrogen engine is approved for commercial use. JCB, one of the largest manufacturers of construction equipment in the world announced that it secured approvals from licensing authorities for its hydrogen combustion engine to be used in commercial machines, making the company the first construction equipment company in the world to fully develop a working combustion engine fueled by hydrogen. 

🚗 Motorists are shunning electric cars as UK production plummets. UK car production plummeted last year by almost 12% lower than the previous year as only 779,584 and 125,649 commercial vehicles were produced. Car manufacturers are also being faced with problems in keeping up with government targets and the lack of confidence in electric vehicles.

🛬 Aviation

✈️ Ehang's autonomous air taxi receives certification. In Shanghai, the Chinese company Ehang completed a demonstration flight of its pilotless passenger-carrying eVTOL aircraft, an autonomous air taxi.

✈️ ePlane's eVTOL Aircraft Receives Certification in India. ePlane, an Indian aviation company, received type certification from the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) for its e200X eVTOL aircraft. The company plans to launch services by 2026, aiming to transport over 500,000 people daily within three years.

🚁 India Hosts Urban Air Mobility Expo 2025. The Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) launched the Urban Air Mobility Expo 2025, an event focused on sustainable transport solutions, showcasing cutting-edge advancements in eVTOL technologies and infrastructure development.

🚋 Rail

🚅 HS2 Launches Innovation Program for Rail Technology. HS2 Ltd, the company behind the HS2 high-speed rail project in the UK, launched its seventh Innovation Accelerator program to advance railway technology for the construction of the HS2 line and improve future train service reliability.

🚆 Adelaide Metro Completes Hybrid Rail Fleet Conversion. The South Australian Government converted its entire Adelaide Metro rail fleet to hybrid diesel railcars to make public transportation more environmentally friendly.

🚇 Alstom Wins $229M Contract for Metro Trains in Lille. Alstom, a French mobility company, secured a contract worth $229M to supply 15 additional rubber-tired automatic metro trains to the city of Lille in France.

🛠️ 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.

🥬 New Greenhouse Propagation Course to Boost Canadian Agricultural Workforce. A new Greenhouse Propagation and Production course, launching in February 2025, will train workers for Canada’s growing agricultural sector. Developed by the Alberni-Clayoquot Regional District, Hupacasath First Nation, and North Island College, the program addresses local labor needs by equipping participants with skills in hydroponics, plant physiology, and sustainable farming. Supported by a provincial grant, the initiative fosters job creation and food security, offering hands-on greenhouse training to unemployed and underemployed community members.

⚒️ San Juan College Launches Uranium Mine Cleanup Training Program. San Juan College’s new Careers Remediating Environmental Waste (CREW) program aims to address abandoned uranium mines in the Four Corners region while creating stable, well-paying jobs. Backed by New Mexico’s workforce and environment departments, the program offers displaced energy workers and others training in mine reclamation. With an estimated 500 abandoned mines, cleanup efforts could generate 2,500 jobs. Companies have committed to interviewing graduates, ensuring pathways to long-term employment.

💼 Colorado Launches Climate Jobs Coalition Amid Federal Policy Shifts. Colorado Climate Jobs, a new labor coalition, aims to create high-quality union jobs and a strong clean energy economy despite federal uncertainty under Trump’s administration. With 77,000 clean-tech jobs statewide, Colorado’s renewable workforce grew 3.9% in 2023. However, federal policy shifts, including tariffs and stalled IRA funding, threaten progress. State leaders remain committed to advancing climate-related job growth while monitoring the impact of new executive orders on green energy initiatives.

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

💰 Vertical Aerospace raises $90M in public offering. Vertical Aerospace, a British aerospace manufacturer, announced the closing of an upsized $90M underwritten public offering.

🚲 Forest Secures $16.6M  to Expand E-Bike Fleet. Forest, a London-based shared bike operator, raised $16.6M in a Series B funding round to introduce new e-bike models and expand its sustainable mobility services.

🔋 VoltUp raises $8M in seed funding. VoltUp, a mobility company, raised $8M in a seed funding round. The funds will be used to invest in assets like swapping stations, and batteries, and expanding their Mobility-as-a-Service (MaaS) platform over the next two years.

💰 Mobility Mojo raises $4.63M from Gresham House Ventures. Gresham House Ventures, a London-based growth equity investor, invested $4.63M in Mobility Mojo, a mobility SaaS company.

✈️ Comply365 Acquires ASQS. Comply365, a provider of aviation solutions, announced the acquisition of ASQS, a company offering aviation safety and quality management software.

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Thank you for reading. Have a great week ahead!
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