QNX Software Development Platform 8.0 Maximizes Multi-Core Processor Performance for Generations to Come
WATERLOO, CANADA – May 17, 2023 – BlackBerry Limited (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) today announced the early access release of QNX® Software Development Platform (SDP) 8.0to enable automakers and IoT systems developers to deliver more powerful products at lower costs, while maintaining the unparalleled safety, security and reliability standards that QNX technology has long been known for.
Powered by its newnext generation QNX®operating system (OS), the company’s highest performance, safe and secure embedded OS ever, SDP 8.0 is designed to realize the performance potential ofthe increasing number of multi-core processorsthat automakers andIoT systems developers are selecting for their productsandis the result of intense R&D work utilizing BlackBerry QNX’s leading IP and unique experience in high performance EDGE computing.
Providing a step–change in performance while maintaining its competitive differentiatoras an inherently safe and secure, POSIX compliant, real-timemicrokernel–based OS, the new architecture has shown animpressive 1-to-1 performance scaling factor as the number of cores increase, unprecedented for a commercial real time operating system. With the next generation QNX OS, customerscan now fully realize the performance of next generation processors and reduce their overall costs by maximizing utilization of the available compute resources, a boon for the likes of automakers whose shift towards Software-Defined Vehicles has brought an exponential amount of software-based architecture complexity.
QNX SDP 8.0 lays the foundation for the next generation BlackBerry® QNX® product portfolio, including next generation QNX® OS for Safety, QNX® Hypervisor and QNX® Hypervisor for Safety, allowing developers to reap the benefits of this new technology irrespective of which BlackBerry QNX technology best suits their requirement.
“The automotive industry is redefining software in the vehicle,” said John Wall, Senior Vice President and Head of BlackBerry QNX. “Automotive architectures are transitioning to zonal, central compute and ultimately Software Defined Vehicles. The top to bottom scalability inherent to SDP 8.0, the QNX OS for Safety and the QNX Hypervisor makes thisa natural choice for automakers looking for a total car OS.”
BlackBerry is working with NVIDIA to integrate the QNX OS microkernel on the next-generation NVIDIA DRIVE Thor, which delivers 2000 TFLOPS of performance and consolidates automated driving with AI cockpit on a single centralized platform.
“The combination of our DRIVE Thor centralized computer and the new QNX OS will serve as a powerful foundation on which OEMs can build next-generation automotive systems that offer the highest levels of safety and security,” said Ali Kani, Vice President of Automotive at NVIDIA. “This represents another major milestone in a nearly 20-year collaboration with BlackBerry QNX that has helped both companies move to the forefront of the automotive industry.”
“With more than 300 million vehicles capable of over-the-air software updates expected to be on the road globally by 2032, automakers are clamoring for better tools to help them develop compelling technology features in the software-defined vehicle,” said Alex Oyler, a director at SBD Automotive, a leading global automotive technology research and consulting firm. “A secured-by-design operating system that seamlessly integrates with other software components on a high-performance system-on-chip represents the foundation of a safe, secure, and seamless experience for drivers. Both automakers and suppliers rely on validated software and well-integrated development tools to help them more efficiently build and maintain differentiating software for their fleets.”
The early access release of QNX SDP 8.0 is available now for evaluation and product development. General availability is scheduled for later in 2023.
For more information on BlackBerry QNX products and engineering services for embedded systems and to request early access to QNX SDP 8.0, please visit BlackBerry.QNX.com/SDP8EA.
About BlackBerry
BlackBerry (NYSE: BB; TSX: BB) provides intelligent security software and services to enterprises and governments around the world. The company secures more than 500M endpoints including over 215M vehicles. Based in Waterloo, Ontario, the company leverages AI and machine learning to deliver innovative solutions in the areas of cybersecurity, safety and data privacy solutions, and is a leader in the areas of endpoint management, endpoint security, encryption, and embedded systems. BlackBerry’s vision is clear – to secure a connected future you can trust.
BlackBerry. Intelligent Security. Everywhere.
For more information, visit BlackBerry.com and follow @BlackBerry.
Trademarks, including but not limited to BLACKBERRY and EMBLEM Design are the trademarks or registered trademarks of BlackBerry Limited, and the exclusive rights to such trademarks are expressly reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners. BlackBerry is not responsible for any third-party products or services.
Electric vehicle (EV) sales jumped by more than 60% globally in 2022, hitting another record. Numerous factors contributed to this growth, from increased model choices and improved car battery range to government subsidies and high oil prices.
Yet, despite this fast growth, EVs still account for only about 14% of total new car sales and, at this rate, it will take decades to fully electrify all vehicles on the road. Governments need to do much more to encourage and prepare for EV adoption.
This is because transportation is a major contributor to carbon emissions, accounting for 37% of CO2 in 2021, according to the IEA. Road travel accounts for three-quarters of transport emissions, most of which come from passenger vehicles.
Millions of additional EVs need to be on the road by 2030 to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius and to reach net zero emissions by mid-century. More than 100 million chargers, including 6.2 million public ones, are necessary to meet that demand, according to the International Council on Clean Transportation.
National governments control many of the most important levers driving this transformation, but cities also play an important role. Oslo, London, Los Angeles and a growing number of other cities are investing in critical charging infrastructure and providing financial incentives, such as tax breaks, as well as quality-of-life perks, such as free parking and special road access, to encourage EV adoption, according to the latest Urban Mobility Readiness Index from the Oliver Wyman Forum and the University of California, Berkeley.
EV adoption: charging forward
Demand for EVs could increase in coming years as a number of nations, as well as US states, agree to ban sales of new combustion engine vehicles within the next 10 to 15 years. And China, the world’s largest automotive market, has declared ambitious decarbonisation targets.
Many consumers expect to switch before such rules kick in. About four in 10 said they plan to buy or lease an EV when they acquire their next personal car, according to a recent 10-country survey by the Oliver Wyman Forum. Germany had the most interest, with 51% of respondents planning to acquire EVs, but even there it will take decades to fully electrify.
What are the most important factors for consumers considering whether to convert to electric? Some fall to governments and others to automakers. The availability of charging stations is consumers’ top priority, according to the Forum survey. How far they can travel on a single charge is also key. ‘Range anxiety’ is decreasing, but ‘charging anxiety’ grows because infrastructure remains spotty and often unreliable.
Investing in infrastructure
Cities can play an important role in encouraging EV adoption by ensuring that adequate infrastructure is available in all neighbourhoods. People with their own garages or driveways can add the necessary charging infrastructure, while those that park on the street need to rely on public chargers, which are often scarce, utilised and can cost more than normal electricity rates.
Leading cities are already trying to ensure adequate access. Los Angeles, for example, has more than 18,000 commercial chargers, 3,000 of which are publicly accessible. It is working to expand those options and has installed over 450 chargers on streetlights and 50 on power poles in areas with apartment complexes or near amenities. It plans to add 200 EV pole chargers each year.
Amsterdam has set an ambitious goal of becoming a zero-emissions city by 2025. As well as significantly expanding its charging infrastructure, the city provides a variety of incentives and regulations to encourage EV adoption, including parking privileges for emission-free taxis and subsidies for business fleets and private owners.
Many cities are also increasing access by getting businesses to install more publicly accessible chargers. Places such as Tucson, Arizona, are using new building codes and zoning rules to get developers to install or leave space for rapid-charging stations when they construct a project.
Financial incentives
Cost remains a major barrier to EV ownership despite price declines and more model options in recent years. The most generous tax breaks typically come from national governments, but cities are also providing monetary benefits to encourage EV adoption.
Oslo, which topped the Urban Mobility Readiness Index’s Sustainable Mobility ranking, aims to be one of the first zero-emission cities in the world. Among its many incentives: it lets EV drivers pay lower road tolls and taxes.
London, which is also trying to reduce pollution, is investing in charging infrastructure and providing different incentives to EV drivers. It exempts them, for example, from fees charged for ULEZ (Ultra Low Emission Zones), which are expanding this year into all London boroughs.
Multiple Chinese cities are offering incentives – including cash subsidies and free parking – to encourage individuals to swap their gas cars for electric vehicles. Shanghai, for example, extended its 10,000 Yuan ($1,447 US) rebate.
Quality-of-life inducements
Some cities are looking beyond the pocketbook, offering convenience perks to EV drivers. In Oslo, for example, EV drivers get free parking and access to bus lanes. The strategy has been so successful that Oslo has begun to phase out some of the benefits.
Cities with fewer resources can help spur adoption by providing quality-of-life incentives. In Mexico City, for example, EV drivers are excluded from ‘Hoy No Circula’ driving restrictions, which are an effort to reduce emissions by restricting driving on certain days. Drivers can also use preferred parking spots in many public locations.
Hitting the accelerator
EV sales are on the rise, but time is running out. Significantly more need to be on the roads for cities and countries to meet net-zero goals. While automakers work to lower costs and improve range, cities can do their part by encouraging use and ensuring access to infrastructure for all residents and visitors.
This is a marketing communication. The information contained herein is based on sources we believe reliable and should be understood to be general risk management and insurance information only. The information is not intended to be taken as advice with respect to any individual situation and cannot be relied upon as such.
Written by Tarun Shome, Product Management Director, BlackBerry IVY Ecosystem
For over a century, most of the world has operated on a concept of transportation that focuses heavily on personal vehicles, particularly the car. From its first rolling off the assembly line, the passenger car appealed to our sense of freedom and individual empowerment. And while that trend might be changing as new generations come along that are less interested in vehicle ownership, it’s unlikely to go away entirely. Nevertheless, as the cities we live in get “smarter,” how cars fit into that ecosystem will change significantly, and a key enabling technology in that transformation will be the software-defined vehicle (SDV).
What Makes a City “Smart”?
A “smart city” is one that’s capable of harnessing the power of today’s most innovative technologies. These cities are defined as urban areas that utilise information and communication technologies (ICT) to improve government services and make them more efficient. Smart cities can also improve the flow and function of how you navigate through the urban environment. One example is a centralised traffic management system that changes traffic lights based on demand, instead of random timing, to reduce congestion. Drivers and businesses save time, save money, and reduce vehicle emissions created by idling at traffic lights.
SDVs Are Crucial to the Future of Urban Living
Most of the attention paid to the current transformation of vehicular transportation has been focused on electrification. But advanced electric vehicles (EVs) come equipped with connectivity features, and quite often, were built with a mind to increase integration of the disparate systems found in a conventional, combustion-powered car.
For much of the history of the automotive industry, carmakers have only made some of their components themselves, with many coming from specialist third parties, such as those that today provide high-performance brakes, premium entertainment systems, satellite navigation and other key subsystems. Now, however, new designs have made the way these components work together increasingly important, requiring a switch toward software that can provide the “glue” between them.
This is how the SDV was born. With so many car systems gaining computerisation and software controls, centralizing this stack around a common codebase has provided many benefits. For instance, having a satellite navigation system that communicates with an EV’s battery can enable the navigation screen to display the predicted remaining capacity when the driver reaches their intended destination. Another benefit is a temperature-preconditioned battery. This means that if the driver sets a destination known to have a charging station, the EV can make adjustments so that upon arrival, the battery’s temperature is optimised to get a maximum charge.
As the smart city moves from concept to reality, the SDV will become even more important as a dynamic node in this system. In the smart city, data and information technology are leveraged to improve operational efficiency, share services with public citizens, and provide a better quality of government. This includes helping traffic flow more smoothly, imposing environmental regulations, managing parking more effectively, and reducing energy usage where possible.
The SDV can become fully integrated into this ecosystem, because it connects its own local “edge” computing systems to the central cloud. Technologies such as 4G, 5G and their successors are enabling the SDV to share the data it is collecting with smart infrastructure, and in turn receive data back. For example, the SDV can send its average speed and location — even weather or road conditions it is encountering — back to the cloud, to enhance traffic data, which other vehicles can then use to optimise their routes. Tolls can be charged automatically based on vehicle location, without the need for physical barriers or license plate recognition. In the future, data from the vehicle’s cameras and other sensors could be used to enhance weather reporting, or to provide additional information for ensuring physical security. The car itself can even be integrated more directly into the energy flow of the urban environment.
We are already seeing some of this being implemented. Energy providers have been offering low night-time rates for some time, to incentivise EV owners to charge their electric cars when the grid is less utilised. But this fixed period, which drivers take advantage of via scheduled charging, can be provided on a more dynamic basis with an SDV. Although the night is usually the time of lowest demand, there could be other times of low utilisation, and services are emerging that can control your car to charge cheaply whenever there is free capacity, making more efficient use of the grid.
Beyond this, experiments in “vehicle-to-grid” technology have proven successful. This is where a car battery can also be tapped to send excess power from the vehicle back to the local utility grid, for use by homes and businesses. For these kinds of services, there needs to be full communication between the car, its battery and the grid, all occurring in real time.
SDVs, Autonomous Driving, and Micromobility
Pushing out further in the future, as autonomous driving becomes a reality, the dynamic connection between cars and their urban environments will become even more fluid. An acronym often applied to characterize SDVs is CASE, which stands for Connected, Autonomous, Shared and Electric. The “A” in CASE will become increasingly important moving forward as cars become part of a city’s transportation fabric. While public transportation and “micromobility” options (such as e-bikes and e-scooters), will continue to proliferate in the cities of the future, neither of these current transportation modes can support every journey. Autonomous vehicle features that mesh with their surroundings will eventually fill the gaps, enabling your car to drop you off, park itself for you, and then pick you up later, all based on smart-city-provided data services that tell the car where free parking spaces are, and the most efficient route to reach them.
BlackBerry’s Role as an Enabler
As automakers contemplate a rapidly changing future with SDVs at its centre, software expertise is becoming essential. Fortunately, there are SDV platforms emerging that can do much of the heavy lifting, such as by providing a common interface between cloud-based connectivity and local car sensors and systems. One platform at the forefront is BlackBerry IVY. In fact, Frost & Sullivan recently awarded BlackBerry IVY the 2022 North America Enabling Technology Leadership Award, thanks to the platform’s complete edge-to-cloud capabilities. BlackBerry’s expertise in Internet of Things, cybersecurity, mobile communications, and automotive software also provides best-in-breed abilities at every level of SDV development. Over 215 million vehicles currently on the road worldwide already rely on BlackBerry QNX real-time embedded software and this platform provides a solid basis of proven and trusted technology for automakers to build upon.
While urban mobility is changing, cars will remain one of the key transportation options. Many of us are already discovering that it can be more relaxing to let the car do most of the work on a busy motorway, and we could soon be enjoying self-driving taxis providing urban point-to-point transit. But personal vehicles for individuals and small groups will still have a place in our lives — even in the smart cities of the future. For that place to fit seamlessly with the smart city vision, however, automakers will need to fully embrace the potential of SDVs, and those that adapt quickly will gain a competitive advantage in the marketplace.
With MOVE 2023 around the corner, Mastercard – a global technology company in the payments industry that processes billions of mobility transactions an on annual basis, and a Diamond Sponsor of this year’s show – previews the current Urban Mobility landscape, where the industry is headed, and the key innovations that will be crucial to the future of space.
The changing urban environment
According to The World Bank, around 4.4 billion people, equating to over 50% of the world’s population, live in cities or urban areas today. It is expected that the urban population will double in size by 2050, with around 7 out of 10 people living in cities.
All these people, whether residents or visitors, need convenient ways to move around urban environments, which is why city leaders and transit operators must consider the evolution of coremulti-modal urban mobility infrastructure. That evolution is not only vital for residents and visitors – businesses of all sizes also need to have easy access to their customers, suppliers, and partners.
Unfortunately, many people living in urban environments still struggle to find cost effective and efficient ways get to work, school, medical care, and other key destinations. While fulfilling those transportation needs continues to be a challenge, it also presents an opportunity to create inclusive, integrated, and sustainable mobility solutions that help riders get to their destinations more quickly and conveniently.
This moment in mobility
Many cities around the world are pioneering a revolution in urban mobility. Technologies that were virtually unthinkable 20 years ago are now being deployed to enhance a rider’s journey. As technologies such as mobile and contactless become the norm, and practices like EV charging, road user charging, in-vehicle payments, and many more take root and grow, there is immense opportunity ahead and an increased pressure to improve the end-to-end urban mobility experience.
Realizing a frictionless future where multiple technologies, services, and offerings work together to support all urban mobility needs is something which Mastercard is passionate about. From London to New York and Singapore to Sydney, Mastercard has partnered with public and private sector mobility operators to enable simple and convenient ways for everyone to get around, while addressing the need to support inclusion, maintain profitability, and alleviate peak pressure for over a decade.
Looking ahead at a frictionless future
So, what does the future of urban mobility hold, and which advancements will be key?
• Improving the public transit experience by helping customers spend less time passing through stations by using the digital tools in their pockets, and transport authoritiesregrow ridership by delivering an improved customer experience that maximises the capability of existing infrastructure.
• Integrating private mobility services to enhance and support transit agency and city offerings. Whether taxi, bike, or scooter, riders should be able to easily choose their preferred transit method based on whatever matters to them – whether simplest, quickest, eco-friendliest or most cost-efficient ways.
• Leveraging automotive technologies, from electric vehicles to in-vehicle payments, to ensuring that it is quick, easy and safe for drivers to charge their vehicle, park, pay for tolls or road user charges, and more efficiently navigate urban environments.
Mastercard is committed to leveraging technology, partnerships, and payments innovations to help deliver seamless end-to-end journeys based on rider preference while providing cost effective and inclusive mobility solutions to cities.
“Over the last 10 years the urban mobility landscape has undergone massive transformation and modernization. In spite of that evolution, rider friction remains as one of the defining characteristics of navigating urban environments,” said Chapin Flynn, SVP Transit and Urban Mobility, Mastercard. “We look forward to connecting with our partners and members of the urban mobility community at MOVE 2023 to discuss what each of us is doing to remove friction from user journeys, optimize ridership, and help cities around the world to get visitors and residents to their destinations as quickly and cost effectively as possible.”
The new edition of the Invers Mobility Barometer provides a comprehensive overview of the European free-floating carsharing market for the first time. In free-floating carsharing or flexible carsharing, fleet operators offer their vehicles within a defined business area, where users can find available vehicles via smartphone and end the rental at any suitable parking space within the business area.
For the current barometer, the research team scrutinized public data from more than 90 carsharing operators in 29 countries, summarized relevant market studies and interviewed selected international experts.
“It was only with the widespread use of smartphones that free-floating carsharing gained momentum as a business model and then established itself in many European countries at varying speeds,” explains Enrico Howe, Senior Market Researcher at Invers. “In 2008, Daimler launched Car2Go, the first major service in Germany, followed in 2011 by BMW’s DriveNow, another pioneer. In Milan, the first service launched in 2013 and in Poland not until 2016.”
The current Mobility Barometer compiles data and trends in Europe comprehensively for the first time.
1. Strong market concentration: 70 percent of the European free-floating fleet is in five countries
By far the largest European market for free-floating carsharing is Germany, with 18,500 vehicles in 34 cities. In the overall European picture, this means that more than a third of the European free-floating carsharing fleet is on German roads. Gunnar Nehrke, executive director of the BundesverbandCarSharing and author of an annual Germany-wide carsharing study, attributes this to the testing strategy of car manufacturers. “I do not think that Germany is a special place for free-floating carsharing. I think the strong position of free-floating carsharing in Germany is more related to the fact that car manufacturers tested this carsharing business model here before expanding to other countries.” Poland, with about 5,500 cars, and Italy, with 5,400 cars, each accounting for about 10 percent of Europe’s free-floating fleet, come in second and third, respectively, according to national association studies. Spain is fourth with about 3,500 to 4,000 cars, and France is fifth with about 2,300 vehicles. Other large free-floating fleets are found in Austria, Belgium, Hungary, the Netherlands and the UK. In countries such as Ireland, Switzerland and Norway, on the other hand, there are currently no free-floating carsharing services offered.
2. Dynamic market characterized by acquisitions and the quest for profitability
In the still relatively young market, the most important goal for many operators is to become profitable. This is evident in almost all the expert interviews in the Mobility Barometer. In addition, the market has seen a lot of momentum recently, particularly through acquisitions. At the end of 2021, GreenMobility acquired Dutch provider Fetch Mobility. Stellantisintegrated Share Now into its own Free2move brand in 2022. In November 2022, Milesacquired the WeShare free-floating fleet from Volkswagen and is now the largest carsharing provider in Germany.
3. The boundaries between business models are becoming increasingly fluid: operators are using vehicles flexibly in sharing, subscription models, or traditional rentals
Another clear trend is the combination of different business models: free-floating operator MILES, for example, also offers car subscriptions, while Share Now in Münster has added station-based car sharing as a supplement to its core free-floating business. In Germany, some providers of station-based car sharing took the opposite approach by integrating free-floating. These include cambio, stadtmobil, teilAuto, and book-n-drive. One example of multimodal service expansion is Bolt.Drive. The ridesharing and kick scooter sharing provider expanded into car sharing in 2021. Sixt Share, on the other hand, uses synergies with the traditional rental business for its car-sharing offering.
4. Car sharing drives e-mobility: small and medium-sized operators are often 100 percent electric
In Germany, for example, more than 20 percent of the total carsharing fleet is comprised ofe-cars, while only 3.3 percent of the total number of vehicles registered in Germany are electric. In addition, numerous operators have e-vehicles exclusively in their fleets, such as GreenMobility in Denmark, Belgium, the Netherlands and Finland, Aimo Share in Sweden, Voltio in Spain, e-GO! DRIVALIA in Italy or Eloop in Austria. “When it comes to sustainability, we can point to the growth of the share of electric vehicles in Italian car sharing,” says Luca Refrigeri, data analyst for the Italian association Osservatorio Nazionale della sharing mobility. “The share was back above 25 percent in 2021. In addition, the number of micro-cars in fleets has increased significantly.” In Hamburg, car-sharing companies Miles, ShareNow, Sixt and WeShare have agreed to increase the share of electric vehicles in their fleets to at least 80 percent by the turn of 2023/24.
5. Data-based and AI-based solutions optimize business processes and offer new application possibilities.
On the road to profitability, operators are increasingly turning to detailed vehicle data and innovative technologies. For example, AI-driven, real-time damage detection solutions can significantly optimize damage management processes and reduce revenue losses by up to 10 percent.
The Invers Mobility Barometer Vol 2 “European Free-Floating Carsharing” can be found here.
About Invers
Invers, inventor of automated vehicle sharing, enables mobility service providers to launch, operate and scale their offerings with integrated hardware and software solutions specifically designed for developers of shared mobility services. As the world’s first shared mobility technology company, Invers is developing and reliably maintaining the fundamental building blocks at scale to offer its customers cost-efficient and easily implementable tech solutions.
The company acts as an independent and reliable partner for operators of services such as car sharing, car subscription, moped sharing, ride pooling and car rental services with the visionto make the use of shared vehicles more convenient and affordable than ownership. Customers include Share Now, Clevershuttle, Miles, imove, Carify, Getaround and Flinkster. The company was founded in 1993 and has locations in Siegen, Cologne and Vancouver. The development takes place entirely in Germany. www.invers.com
Aon’s Benoit Geurts –Managing Director, EMEA, Aon Intellectual Property Solutions, and Ian McCaw – Head of M&A for Digital Businesses look at why themobility sector should be taking steps to protect its intangible assets, and how those assets can be used to create additional value.
In recent years, company value has shiftedrapidly from tangible assets such as property, plant and equipment, to intangible assets including intellectual property (IP)–from coding, to patents, trademarks, copyrights, domain names, trade secrets, and data. By 2020, it was estimated that intangible assets represented 90 percent of the market value of the S&P500 – a rise from 68 percent in 1995.
For most businesses in the tech-heavy future mobility sector, intangible assets are at the very core of their offering which makes the security and protection of those assets critical, as well as the need to explore how to create additional value in ways such as leveraging IP to find new sources of funding.
Focus on Security and Protection
Every future mobility business should have a clear IP strategy with a defined approach to the security and protection of these intangible assetshowever far along a company is in its development lifecycle. The types of assets to include in an IP strategy will include the application of copyrights to protect the software code and algorithms, and potentially the user interface of an app.
Trademarks will help to safeguardany branding elements including the brand name, logo or strapline. And some companies will also be able to protect their inventions through patents, especially hardware providers. Understanding the patent landscape can highlight new entrants, identify patents that may create an IP infringement risk, and find potential licensees as well as helping to facilitate discussions on partnerships and collaborations.
Many future mobility businesses will develop trade secrets while growing their services and it is essential there is a robust trade secret policy in place to avoid competitors accessing the non-patented ‘secret sauce’ that provides the company with its competitive advantage.
No business can afford to ignore the data setsacquired from customer journeys either given they represent a great deal of potential value which can be safeguarded by contracts and database rights.
The challenge for businesses is many will spend heavily on developing the IP they need when building the organisation, but protection can be almost an afterthought, or not considered at all. There is an issue around software development, for example, where a culture around openness and sharingcould lead to programmers inadvertently betraying their company’s trade secrets. Some businesses also fail to put in safeguards to protect trade secrets when employees leave and join a competitor. Making sure IP doesn’t leave with a disgruntled employee could be vital for the future success of a business. Effective cyber security is also key and making sure appropriate measures are in place to prevent hackers accessing IP or data is essential.
Value Creation
Security of intangible assets is one crucial area, but a strong IP portfolio can help a company through fund raising if communicated in such a way to potential investors that IP is positioned as a value driver. From an investor’s point-of-view, understanding the IP position of a potential investee/target from a non-legal point of view using advanced IP analytics will help de-risk their investment and protect value.
For scale ups, IP can also enable the company to tap into innovative source of financing like IP-backed lending which can create an additional flow of non-dilutive funding.
The data collected in the future mobility space is hugely valuable too. Whether an e-scooter or electric vehicle, these devices are data harvesting machines. Companies can take that data and sell it to industries like the insurance sector who are hungry for information on driving habits, as well as other sectors like media agencies, for example, looking for ways to better target their advertising.
Don’t forget either that there is also the potential to create additional value by licensing out an organisation’s tech for use by other companies.
Have a Strategy
For every future mobility business it’s about having a clear strategy from an IP perspective; recognising that the intangible assets of the business need protecting but in a hyper competitive market it’s also the ability to use those assets to create additional value in new and innovative ways – such as the raising of capital to finance future growth – that could make all the difference.
Aon can support your organisation in navigating the protection of intangible assets such as IP, andexploring the options for IP-backed lending. For more information, contact ian.mccaw@aon.co.uk or Benoit.geurts@aon.com
Aon is a diamond sponsor at MOVE2023. Visit our stand to find out more about how Aon can support your organisation.
Whilst care has been taken in the production of this article and the information contained within it has been obtained from sources that Aon UK Limited believes to be reliable, Aon UK Limited does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of the article or any part of it and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way whatsoever by any person who may rely on it. In any case any recipient shall be entirely responsible for the use to which it puts this article.
This article has been compiled using information available to us up to 27/04/23.
Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 00210725. Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN. Tel: 020 7623 5500.
Mobilityways is a climate tech company on a mission to make zerocarbon commuting a reality.
They work with other organisations, such as the NHS, to measure, report and reduce commuter emissions and find alternative, more sustainable, methods of travel to work.
Watch NHS Lanarkshire’s impact story below and discover what Mobilityways can do to help companies achieve their zero carbon commuting goals.
Rather than a barrier to growth, the insurance industry can be a catalyst for businesses pioneering new mobility solutions says Aon’s Marc Spurling – Director of Future Mobility Strategy.
Technology and innovation are at the heart of the future mobility revolution. Whether you want groceries and snacks delivered in an hour; a car to go anywhere anytime; rent your car to earn from it rather than let it sit idle for 94% of its life; or grab that scooter to get you across town under your own steam; there is a mobility solution for you. And that’s only a fraction[1] of the ways in which businesses are investing to solve the mobility needs of the global population to 2030 and beyond. Yet amongst this agility of thinking and ingenuity of new business models disrupting convention to break new ground, insurance is a common obstacle that can hinder development, slow expansion and create unsustainable financial burdens upon growing mobility businesses.
Insurance Hits the Bottom Line
For new digital mobility business operating models, insurance can account for between 60 – 80% of variable expense meaning it has a direct impact on the bottom line. Insurance markets and products have however, been slow to adapt to the changing demands and needs of these mobility innovators; hedging their bets and waiting for enough data to help them get comfortable in underwriting these risks. Generally, they are not agile enough when it comes to accepting the increasing volume of complex, instant, high quality and reliable data that these innovators have available. To unlock the potential of these business models, the insurance market needs to become an enabler of growth by embracing the availability of risk data to develop affordable, fit for purpose products for future mobility players.
New Energy Vehicles – Acceptance and Adoption Impacted by Insurability
Take new energy vehicles (NEVs), which consist of battery electric vehicles (BEVs) and the development of other clean fuel technologies, such as hydrogen. The relative newness of these technologies means there are not decades of data available to evaluate these new risks. This presents a challenge to insurance markets more comfortable with a well-trodden formula for underwriting risk on the back of historical trends. The result is reduced insurance capacity and increased premium cost as these uncertainties are factored into pricing decisions.
Utilising the power of connected car data can change that. Selecting insurance partners who are open to evaluating risk in new ways, using data to create pricing models and who have a forward-looking outlook is vital. NEVs need insurance partners who can evaluate the risks of these technologies with fresh thinking, using available data and understanding safety features in order to accurately present the true risk to the insurance market.
As technology continues to improve the quality of battery life, for example, data can be used to help users adapt to best practices in maintaining battery performance, support proactive maintenance and demonstrate durability[2]. Aon has worked with specialist markets to develop solutions to support extended battery warranty for manufacturers and the provision of embedded insurance products to NEV’s supporting their market entry and growth aspirations.
Insuring the Future of Autonomous Vehicles
Turning to autonomous vehicles (AVs) – which have the potential to revolutionise mobility with the prospect of safe, efficient transit of people and goods – solving the insurance challenges affecting the key AV players (original equipment manufacturers, artificial intelligence software providers and operators) will be critical to enabling widespread deployment. The insurance market must innovate to meet the liability complexities arising from these new business models. Taking a traditional insurance approach, with insurance policies that cover single areas of risk – such as third-party liability or vehicle damage – will not deliver effective solutions for producers, operators, or users of AVs. They will be costly and will most likely create conflict between the areas of insurance coverage, slowing down claims payments while stifling collaboration and development.
Blended Insurance Products
To avoid these pitfalls, the insurance market will need to adapt to the development of blended or composite insurance products to represent the true nature of product liability, software design risks, cyber hacks, third-party property damage and injury risks to passengers and other road users amongst others. In addition, mechanisms for managing claims efficiently and effectively will need to be developed. The causal features of claims will fundamentally change and require specialist handling utilising technical expertise that understand the different risk features. Achieving this will require new collaborations between the insurance market, AV players and trusted third parties to use new streams of available data to show the true risk profile and resulting insurance costs using innovative rating models based on a deep understanding of the technologies and their capabilities.
Insurance that Mirrors the Disruptive Mindset
Global mobility is undergoing a major inflection point, not seen for over 100 years. The disruptors shaping the future mobility landscape are digital natives powered by technology innovations redefining the way mobility is delivered, consumed, and priced. These players demand partners that have agility, align with their technology, and can deliver solutions that enable their growth pathway. To get on board, the insurance market needs to adapt and mirror this disruptive mindset, embrace the challenge, and deliver solutions that fit future mobility business models.
Aon is a diamond sponsor at MOVE2023. Visit our stand to find out more about how Aon can support your organisation.
Whilst care has been taken in the production of this article and the information contained within it has been obtained from sources that Aon UK Limited believes to be reliable, Aon UK Limited does not warrant, represent or guarantee the accuracy, adequacy, completeness or fitness for any purpose of the article or any part of it and can accept no liability for any loss incurred in any way whatsoever by any person who may rely on it. In any case any recipient shall be entirely responsible for the use to which it puts this article.
This article has been compiled using information available to us up to 21/03/23.
Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority. Registered in England and Wales. Registered number: 00210725. Registered Office: The Aon Centre, The Leadenhall Building, 122 Leadenhall Street, London EC3V 4AN. Tel: 020 7623 5500.
[2] Autocar Electric. James Disdale What is the battery life of an electric car, 26 January 2023 “while performance may degrade over time, ultimately the cells should still be providing at least 70 percent of their capacity even after 200,000 miles. As an example, a number of Tesla Model S taxis operating from Gatwick airport racked up over 300,000 miles each over three years, with all retaining at least 82 percent of their batteries’ health”.
Written by John Wall, Senior Vice President and Head of BlackBerry QNX
Just as we now buy phones, TVs and other devices based on features and available services, consumers are increasingly choosing vehicles for the digital experiences they offer. As cars electrify, they are also creating new challenges for which their digital capabilities can provide a solution. It’s becoming clear to top automotive executives that a highly capable software platform is essential for future success in their competitive industry.
However, safety and security are key elements that must be maintained as vehicle functions shift over to being primarily software-defined. The vehicle is one of the most powerful, iconic, and challenging IoT devices that now use cyber-physical systems. When you think about it, a vehicle – especially a software-defined vehicle (SDV) – is a collection of complex computers. Attacks on IT have evolved and become more advanced over the past 30 years or so, and “mature” threat actors can take advantage of automakers who may be grappling with many of these IT-world cybersecurity challenges for the first time.
When it comes to IT, the ability to detect intrusions and block attackers before they can reach their target is critical. With organizations focusing on the development of software-centric vehicles, the same is true. In fact, the fundamental technologies to secure the complex nature of automobiles already exists and are not much different to what’s seen in IT. However, many of these technologies are not yet sufficiently adapted or adopted for automotive use cases.
In SDVs, software controls and directs what happens and when. And just like with a typical IT endpoint, various types of data are transmitted to enterprise servers, and vice versa with over-the-air (OTA) updates, as well as between other devices. It’s these interconnections, and the increased volume of software – including open source – that presents a massive attack surface of potential vulnerability.
Why is securing SDVs important? The answer is that in next-gen vehicles, cybersecurity will be a significant component of vehicle safety. In the U.S, 6% of fatal crashes and 8% of injury-inflicting crashes in 2019 occurred due to distracted driving. Consider what might happen if a threat actor compromised the infotainment system in a vehicle in such a way that it distracts the driver? What might something as simple as an unexpected loud noise from the car speakers do?
This is more than conjecture. Cybersecurity researchers recently discovered a vulnerability in a connected vehicle (CV) service provided by SiriusXM that affects millions of cars. Researchers say they could exploit this vulnerability to unlock, start, locate, and honk horns of cars from various brands, in an unauthorized manner — just by knowing the car’s vehicle identification number (VIN). As vehicles become more connected and software centric, threat actors may not need to compromise safety critical systems to potentially compromise safety.
However, the good news is that cybersecurity practices and solutions for enterprise security are also largely applicable for SDVs.
More than ever, it is critical that we “bake cybersecurity in” at each stage of design and development, rather than try to bolt it on later. It’s not just about protecting against data theft or extortion anymore. As we move forward and technology advances, organizations need to consider the potential dangers that threat actors may pose to the physical wellbeing of people.
At BlackBerry, cybersecurity is in our DNA. BlackBerry QNX is a trusted supplier of commercial operating systems, hypervisors, development tools, support and services, all purpose-built for the world’s most critical embedded systems. We help customers streamline their development efforts to more efficiently launch safe, secure and reliable systems and our technology is trusted in more than 215 million vehicles around the world.
As MOVE 2023 approaches, Aon – a leading insurance broker and risk management business, and a diamond sponsor of this year’s show – looks at the risks and challenges mobility businesses face and the innovative ways in which those risks can be managed and mitigated, while also using insurance capital to create additional value.
For the many mobility businesses represented at MOVE 2023, the story will be about fast-paced growth; the ability to go from start-up to a mature business that can rapidly scale in it chosen markets and locations. It’s an exciting journey but rarely one without risks and pitfalls, which is one reason why Aon is enthusiastically partnering many new mobility clients to help them safely navigate the challenges ahead. “We understand the journey mobility businesses are on,” says Herbert Jansse – Aon’s Head of Digital for EMEA, “and we want to be there for them whether it’s helping to provide insurance risk transfer products for the businesses themselves or their clients, advising on how to retain or recruit the best talent, how to leverage intellectual property to support debt financing, and even how to manage the changing regulatory requirements.”
An optimistic outlook
Despite the expected global downturn and difficult economic challenges, the outlook for the mobility sector is more encouraging given, for example, the expectation for growth of mobility platforms and solutions in Europe. “Densely populated cities in Europe continue to restrict conventionally fuelled cars from city centres and the expectation is that bike, scooter and moped sharing/rental will double or triple over the next three to five years,” says Jansse. “Add in the expected growth for other mobility solutions like the use of micro-cars and there is a lot to be optimistic about.” And it’s that wide-ranging nature of the sector which is so appealing, adds Marc Spurling, Aon’s Director of Future Mobility Strategy: “The way in which mobility trends are underpinning wider societal changes, reshaping cities, extending mobility access to the underserved, and encompassing the shared and digital economies, while supporting the transition to net zero is super exciting.”
A challenge, however, is in helping new businesses manage their risks when the focus is all about growth. “Insurance and risk should be high on the agenda, but it’s not always that way for start-ups and small businesses who are more focused on growth,” warns Jansse, even though the total cost of their insurance programmes can be very high. “We see digital native companies with an insurance spend that can be as much as 60-80% of their total expenses; meaning it has a high impact on them and their business model in terms of funding, and is an obstacle as they look to grow and expand into new territories,” says Spurling.
Working closely with insurers
In addition, new business models come with risks that the traditional insurance market might not have considered. “Many traditional insurance players struggle with some of the innovative areas that are a feature of the mobility sector,” says Spurling, “because there isn’t the historical data to enable them to underwrite these risks in the way they normally would. It’s a big challenge when it comes to setting premium levels and can lead to reduced insurer appetite for some of these risks, which in turn leads to higher prices. In the EV space, for example, the cost of insurance is higher which creates a problem for customers. We’re looking at how we can work with insurers and particularly those innovative new markets that are willing to look at newer and more complex data sets and provide capacity on the back of it. Data is at the heart of the strategy and many of the technology platforms have more data available than we’ve ever had historically.”
Helping retain talent, unlock finance and reassure regulators
It’s not just with insurance though, where Aon can help, says Martyn Denney – Aon’s Head of Innovation and Investments. “In the war for talent, advice on how to attract and retain the best talent, whether it’s around executive compensation or health and benefits is critical if a mobility company is to succeed and drive growth in a hyper competitive market. Mergers and acquisition advice is also important not just in helping to plot a path to an IPO, but often it’s more about how we can help these companies raise finance and de-risk themselves in the eyes of potential investors. One area of rapid growth, for example, is in helping businesses to value and leverage their intellectual property – particularly important in the absence of physical assets – to raise debt finance as an alternative to turning to private equity.”
Another risk area is around regulation, adds Spurling: “We’re actively tracking the regulatory trends throughout Europe when it comes to mobility issues like the use of autonomous vehicles or micro-scooters. In many ways it is about how we can work with mobility businesses to both understand those regulatory issues but also provide assurance to the regulators such as through an insurance solution.”
Immersed in new technology
Over the next months, Aon and MOVE will be exploring some of these risk challenges and solutions in more detail but, in the meantime, the countdown to MOVE 2023 continues. “We’re excited to immerse ourselves in the new technologies and innovation that will be on show at MOVE 2023 and to work with mobility businesses to secure their future wherever they are on their growth journey,” concludes Denney.
The information contained in this document is intended to assist readers and is for general guidance only
Aon: Aon UK Limited is authorised and regulated by the Financial Conduct Authority.
About Aon
Aon plc (NYSE: AON) exists to shape decisions for the better — to protect and enrich the lives of people around the world. Our colleagues provide our clients in over 120 countries with advice and solutions that give them the clarity and confidence to make better decisions to protect and grow their business.
Which trends will move the needle for the mobility industry in the coming year? How will technology contribute to new solutions for transport? Against the backdrop of these questions, the shared mobility experts at Invers have identified five trends:
(1) The market for carsharing will grow by at least 20 percent.
(2) More focus on profitability.
(3) More offers with longer rental periods.
(4) Shared mobility will become even more sustainable.
(5) Cities and project developers have recognized the potential of carsharing.
Siegen, January 10th, 2023 – Achieving climate targets, transformation of transport, and the goal of car-free inner cities are just a few examples of current challenges that require innovative mobility solutions. The following five trends will move the industry in the coming year:
The market for carsharing will grow by at least 20 percent.
For 2022, the German Car-Sharing Association has identified more than 3.4 million customers, which is approximately 18 percent more than in the previous year. The figure demonstrates consistent growth in the market and reflects the plans of numerous shared mobility operators: “Many customers are talking to us about expansion plans,” says Bharath Devanathan, Chief Business Officer at Invers. “We expect the car-sharing market to grow by at least 20 percent in the coming year.” Expansion plans are also evident in recent market developments such as Miles’ acquisition of WeShare and Stellantis/Free2Move’s acquisition of ShareNow.
More focus on profitability.
At the same time, the pressure on operators to become profitable is increasing. In the shared micromobility market, operators are expected to further withdraw from less profitable cities to focus on lucrative markets instead. Examples include Bird’s withdrawal from Europe and GoSharing’s withdrawal from Saarbrücken.
To increase profitability, some carsharing operators are outsourcing large-scale operational tasks to specialized service providers such as Carbio GmbH, which can realize economies of scale. Others are focusing on increasing vehicle utilization by offering vehicles on MaaS platforms or in complementary business models, for example corporate carsharing during the week and peer-to-peer carsharing on the weekend. New concepts for fleet sharing and unifying APIs are going to support this approach.
More offers with longer rental periods.
The still young trend toward car subscriptions is continuing. Operators of mobility services are thus tapping into new customer segments. Approximately 100,000 to 130,000 car subscription contracts were concluded in France, Germany, Italy, Spain and the UK in 2020, according to the industry experts at Berylls in their study “Snapshot of the European Auto Subscription Market”. The CAR Institute assumes that there will already be between two and four million subscriptions in 2030. Traditional carsharing providers such as MILES or Hiyacar are going beyond short-term rentals and addressing the long-term market, as are traditional leasing providers and car rental companies, for example Sixt or Wheego. They are also addressing new customer segments and countering the resulting risk by monitoring vehicle usage data and terminating access to the vehicle if necessary.
Shared Mobility becomes even more sustainable.
In principle, car sharing is already more sustainable than using private vehicles because the individual car is used more efficiently, and the number of vehicles required for mobility services is reduced in the long term. In addition, the carsharing services of numerous operators will be increasingly electric. The French provider Virtuo, for example, plans to electrify half of its fleet by 2025. In Hamburg, carsharing companies Miles, ShareNow, Sixt and WeShare have agreed to increase the proportion of electric vehicles in their fleets to at least 80 percent by the turn of the year 2023/24.
Cities and project developers have recognized the potential of car sharing.
The idea of shared mobility is also gaining importance in residential construction: numerous developers are integrating shared mobility solutions into their offerings. By providing shared vehicles in their buildings, developers can save costs by reducing the number of parking spaces they’re required to provide. This trend is particularly evident in the Netherlands, Germany and Italy. In addition, some cities and municipalities are promoting sharing concepts through more carsharing-friendly policies, especially with regard to parking fees. Hamburg’s success with carsharing and Berlin’s turnaround are examples for other cities to follow suit. In many cases, they are linking these policies to the promotion of electromobility. Cologne, Hamburg and Munich already offer free parking for e-vehicles, which should further accelerate the trend toward pure e-vehicle fleets in these cities.
About Invers
Invers, inventor of automated vehicle sharing, enables mobility service providers to launch, operate and scale their offerings with integrated hardware and software solutions specifically designed for developers of shared mobility services. As the world’s first shared mobility technology company, Invers is developing and reliably maintaining the fundamental building blocks at scale to offer its customers cost-efficient and easily implementable tech solutions.
The company acts as an independent and reliable partner for operators of services such as carsharing, scooter sharing, ride pooling and car rental with the vision to make the use of shared vehicles more convenient and affordable than ownership. Customers include Share Now, Clevershuttle, Miles, imove, Carify, Getaround, Flinkster, TIER, and Emmy. The company was founded in 1993 and has locations in Siegen, Cologne and Vancouver. The development takes place entirely in Germany. www.invers.com
Interest in electric vehicles (EVs) has enjoyed a period of strong growth over the last two years, with the 2030 ban on the sale of new petrol and diesel vehicles and spikes in fuel prices all serving to peak consumer interest.
However, this period of soaring growth now looks to be in jeopardy as consumer interest is waning.
2021 saw one in four new car sales being electric but 2022, a year when new car sales have seen some recovery from the supply shortages seen in 2021, just one in seven new car sales were for EVs.
We’ve seen this decline playing out on Auto Trader, the UK’s largest automotive marketplace, as well. You can see on the below chart that advert views for electric cars have seen significant growth in the last two years and peaked at the height of the UK “fuel shortage” where we saw almost 27% of all new car advert views being for an EV. However, since this peak over a year ago, we have seen interest steadily decline to just 14% as of November 2022, the same as it was a year ago.
What’s more, this period has seen the supply of new EVs gradually rising. With demand falling and supply rising we may soon find ourselves in a situation we have more new EVs available than there is demand
So, what’s causing this decline, and what can be done to get us on track as we approach 2030?
The primary factor behind the recent drop in interest is the much-publicised rise in electricity prices which has depressed demand for electric vehicles.
It’s important to note that, whilst the rise in electricity prices naturally impacts the running cost of an EV, EVs still do offer significant savings in running costs vs. internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles, with our latest analysis indicating that, on average, an EV will save owners £124 per 1,000 miles driven (based on home charging costs) even with inflated electricity prices.
It’s these savings that we need to highlight to consumers to drive interest in the years ahead.
But whilst EVs do represent a saving when it comes to running costs, they still remain prohibitively expensive for many consumers thanks to a far higher upfront price point. This“green premium” translates to the average new EV price tag being 36% more expensive than an equivalent ICE vehicle.
Whilst the cost differential has declined over the years, it has risen since the start of 2022 due to the rise in battery costs.
The higher upfront cost is also a limiting factor when it comes to who can afford an EV, with EVs very much the preserve of the wealthy. The launch of more affordable options such as the hugely popular MG4 will help to draw in a new buyer demographic but, unless we see upfront costs fall significantly and a far wider range of affordable EVs enter the market, we are at risk of alienating the majority of car buyers and seeing new EV sales slow down even further.
The challenges I’ve so far outlined have focused on the new EV market, but these challenges are also present in the used market.
Demand for used EVs has followed a similar trajectory to that of new EVs with the previously mentioned issues dampening new demand also having the same impact on the used market.
Of more concern however is the fact that the supply of used EVs, which has doubled in the last year as more vehicles return to the market, has now overtaken levels of consumer demand.
This rise in supply and fall in demand has resulted in EVs sitting for far longer on retailers’forecourts. In fact, used EVs are now the slowest-selling of any fuel type and this has led retailers to start cutting prices in order for them to sell their EV stock. For three consecutive months, used electric car retail prices have fallen on a month-on-month basis, whereas petrol and diesel prices have followed pre-pandemic seasonal trends.
Whilst this may sound like good news for consumers, these price drops are relatively minor(-2.6% in November), and used EVs, like new, still command a premium over their ICE counterparts with the used EVs being on average £10,000 more expensive than their ICE equivalents.
Looking ahead, used EV values will continue to depend on supply and demand dynamics. The question is whether demand will keep pace with supply as the absolute number of EVs registered increases over the next decade.
Based on the latest projections, there will be over a million EVs on the road in the UK by 2024, up from less than 400k at the end of 2021. By 2030, there will be nearly eight million registered, accounting for nearly a quarter of the total car parc.
The rate of change will be even faster in younger age cohorts. By 2030, over half of all under-five-year-old cars on the road will be electric.
It’s clear then that are many challenges ahead of us as we approach 2030 and that action is needed to ensure that we see mass adoption of EVs ahead of the 2030 ban.
There is no single solution to the issues facing the EV market and it remains the responsibility of industry and government to make the switch a viable solution for consumers.
At Auto Trader, we believe that there are three fundamental areas we all need to focus on to address the issues I have raised here in order that we drive consumer adoption levels
Making the switch to electric more affordable
It may take years until battery costs fall below the level needed to achieve price parity, but there are still actions that can be taken to make EVs more affordable in the short-term.
Creating trust in second-hand electric vehicles
With supply ahead of demand, the used electric vehicle market needs urgent attention to address the imbalance.
Accelerating the rollout of public charging infrastructure
Beyond the headline, the UK needs a low-cost, reliable, and accessible charging solution for those without a home charger and those going on long journeys. Until this is resolved, a large proportion of UK households will not switch to electric.
By focussing on these three areas, we will ease consumers’ transition to EV ownership and ensure a smooth journey as we continue along the road to 2030.
You can find out more in our regular report, entitled: The Road to 2030.
The nights are darker and our streets more dangerous – what can we do to help?
Increased darkness, combined with miserable weather means I end up walking with my head down or under an umbrella far more at the moment. This is far from ideal when you’re trying to be aware of your surroundings, especially on days like today when its pouring and I’m laden with bags and screaming kids. As women it’s ingrained in us to be hyper vigilant as otherwise society deems it to be ‘our fault’. Did she have her AirPods in? Was she walking down well-lit streets? Did she share her journey? Did she have her SOS button ready? The list is never ending and it’s exhausting.
Is this still what we have to do in 2022? I ask myself on a daily basis and sadly the answer is always a resounding yes. Sometimes I think I’ll chance it, it won’t be me that gets targeted. Then I think of all the women that thought the same thing before me, Sarah Everard, Sabina Nessa, Zara Aleena. So then I decide I won’t risk it, I’ll pull an AirPod out and I’ll quickly set up a HomeSafe on my WalkSafe app. It’s only getting more pressing, more urgent, more dangerous. Many of us are walking home more due to the cost of living crisis (our research found 1 in 5 are altering their behaviour in this way a month ago, likely higher now) and are unable to afford sky high train tickets or a taxi home. With Christmas approaching we are aware of the financial impact of these safer options and are choosing to go out on the streets more.
With the recent clock change and winter nights drawing in, the dangers are more prevalent. Cases of violent crimes on the UK’s streets have risen over the past four years. These include sexual offences and theft against the person. This November and December alone, over 400,000 violent and sexual offences are forecast on our streets (comparison Apr/May and Oct/Nov 2018-21; Open Source Data). This is nearly 16,000 more than were recorded in the lighter months of April and May 2022. I’ve had enough of worrying about my safety when I leave the house, enough of worrying about my friends getting home from our night out, or reading about another tragic girl’s life being taken due to male violence. Now is the time for the Government to spend more on making our streets safer for everyone after dark.
One simple solution is to increase the amount of street lighting. At WalkSafe we are a personal safety company, but we are also a data company. Our users are able to post where they are concerned about a lack of streetlights. This helps keep our community safer and gives us the insight to feedback to local councils. We are trying to improve safety outcomes for all through this small but actionable solution, one that costs nothing but could have a huge ripple effect if rolled out effectively. We would love to see our wider community think about their neighbours and prevent others from becoming targets of crime. Enough is enough, together we are stronger.
