Faster, Smarter, Greener - The Future of the Car and Urban Mobility

The twentieth century was the century of the automobile; the twenty-first will see mobility dramatically re-envisioned. Automobiles altered cityscapes, boosted economies, and made personal mobility efficient and convenient for many. We had a century-long love affair with the car. But today, people are more attached to their smartphones than their cars. Cars are not always the quickest mode of travel in cities; and emissions from the rapidly growing number of cars threaten the planet. This book, by three experts from industry and academia, envisions a new world of mobility that is connected, heterogeneous, intelligent, and personalized (the CHIP architecture).

The authors describe the changes that are coming. City administrators are shifting from designing cities for cars to designing cities for people. Nations and cities will increasingly employ targeted user fees and offer subsidies to nudge consumers toward more sustainable modes. The sharing economy is coaxing many consumers to shift from being owners of assets to being users of services. The auto industry is responding with connected cars that double as virtual travel assistants and by introducing autonomous driving.

The CHIP architecture embodies an integrated, multimode mobility system that builds on ubiquitous connectivity, electrified and autonomous vehicles, and a marketplace open to innovation and entrepreneurship. Consumers will exercise choice on the basis of user experience and efficiency, aided by “intelligent advisors,” accessible through their mobile devices.

An innovative mobility architecture reconfigured for this century is a social and economic necessity; this book charts a course for achieving it.

Winner of the CHOICE Outstanding Academic Titles for 2018

About the authors

Venkat Sumantran

Venkat Sumantran is Chairman of Celeris Technologies and has more than thirty years of experience heading organizations in the auto industry in the United States, Europe, and Asia.

Charles Fine

Charles Fine is Chrysler LGO Professor at MIT Sloan and the Founding President of the Asia School of Business, Kuala Lumpur.

David Gonsalvez

David Gonsalvez is CEO and Rector at MIT's Malaysia Institute for Supply Chain Innovation.

• The auto industry is poised to usher in a new era where carmakers and cities will work as partners and transform urban mobility together. The authors have skillfully captured the drivers and the trajectory of this shift.

  Carlos Ghosn

  Chairman and CEO, Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi Alliance

• • Building better, more efficient, more sustainable cities is the grandest of the many grand challenges facing us as the world embarks on the greatest era of city-building in its history. Faster, Smarter, Greener takes a deep dive into the challenges of mobility and sustainability facing the world and its cities today. It is a must-read for mayors, urban leaders, city leaders, and urbanists across the globe.

    Richard Florida

    author of The Rise of the Creative Class and The New Urban Crisis