This is the second article in an 8-part series featuring articles on Innovations in Electric and Autonomous Vehicles. The series presents an insight into the developments and challenges in the automotive sector as it undergoes massive transformations with the arrival of electric and self-driving vehicles. This series is sponsored by Mouser Electronics. Through the sponsorship, Mouser Electronics shares its passion for technologies that enable smarter and connected applications.

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a concept that aims to eliminate internal combustion engines and reduce the number of privately owned vehicles by aggregating various forms of transportation services and making them available through digital channels on demand. There are many environmental benefits to this idea if done right.

This article introduces readers to MaaS and discusses some technical challenges in making it a widely accepted form of transport.

Introduction

Transforming our traditional society to one that employs MaaS is a significant task. When personal vehicles are eliminated in favor of ride-shared technologies, traffic and emissions, even vehicle costs, may decrease. However, pushback can occur because the right to transportation law allows us to select our transportation modes.

It was once said that starting an engine wasted more fuel and created more emissions than an idling vehicle. That has changed, especially with the technological prowess we have today. Modern cars don't just have a timing mark to indicate the top dead center on cylinder 1. They have cam and crankshaft position sensors that indicate accurate angular position sensing.

Electronically controlled fuel injection systems can only deliver a spurt of fuel into the cylinder at the top dead center or beyond. Since the ignition spark is no longer magneto or distributor cap controlled, the same car computer can ignite that spurt of fuel and, very efficiently and cleanly, get that old motor turning again.

More than Starting and Stopping

Engine restart is only an issue with gas cars. The shift to electric self-driving vehicles is a significant part of MaaS proposals. A higher level of autonomy means constant connectivity to the internet and GPS (and an extensive array of sensors).

Many cars already have radar and video-based collision avoidance systems, and they seem to play well together. More accurate GPS technologies, like Ultra-Wideband (UWB), will provide the centimeter resolutions needed to make autonomy safer.

With more responsibility placed on web-based information, cars now join the myriad of Internet of Things (IoT) devices monitored and controlled by cloud-based services and sites. IoT traffic devices include traffic lights, railroad crossings, lane closures, draw bridges, traffic sensors, speed sensors, cell phone transponders, E-Z pass transponders, RFID readers, facial recognition systems, biohazard sensors, radiation sensors, and more.

Rapid charging and widely deployed charging stations still need to be addressed. MaaS aims to eliminate all internal combustion engines, making all cars, trucks, buses, and delivery vans electric-only. This requires building out reliable, fast, and clean charging stations, relying heavily on battery technology.

Battery Technology Options for MaaS

Despite not being the ideal choice, lithium-ion remains the industry standard. Lithium tech is dirty, expensive, dangerous, and not easily reclaimed. 

There are sounder battery technologies, and we need to find them and use them. Cleaner batteries are on the horizon. Air batteries promise higher energy densities than lithium and use lower-cost, readily available metals. Sodium, graphene, and even hemp are viable substitutes. 

A future article in this series explains the concept of solid-state batteries which are expected to perform better than the existing lithium-Ion batteries with liquid electrolytes.

As more renewable energy is deployed, clean sources of power will be available for the large number of new charging stations needed to replace the internal combustion engine. Solar, wind, and geothermal technologies are being explored as alternatives to aged and dirty energy generation sources.

Conclusion

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) aims to eliminate internal combustion engines and reduce the number of privately owned vehicles. There are many environmental benefits to this idea if done right. We are at a point now where we can solve tech problems efficiently. The first place experts are starting is at the battery level so we can rely on fast and clean power to bring MaaS even further into the future.

This article is based on an e-book by Mouser Electronics. It has been substantially edited by the Wevolver team and Electrical Engineer Ravi Y Rao. It's the second article from the Innovations in Electric and Autonomous Vehicles Series. Future articles will introduce readers to some more trends and technologies transforming the automotive sector.

The introductory article presented the different topics covered in the Innovations in Electric and Autonomous Vehicles Series.

The first article discussed the present state of autonomous vehicles.

The second article explains MaaS and how improvements in automotive technologies are speeding up its adoption.

The third article takes a look at how the 3GPP intends to use 5G in V2X applications with significant advantages over current dedicated short-range communication or other Cellular-V2X proposals.

The fourth article explains Driver Monitoring Systems (DMS) and their role in reducing the possibility of mishaps due to human errors

The fifth article examines some of the ways EV technologies will evolve, and some of the obstacles they need to overcome before the automotive industry can transition to fully electric

The sixth article discusses solid-state batteries, a promising alternative to conventional Li-ion batteries

The seventh article explains active noise cancellation and why it’s a very effective solution for eliminating noises in automobiles

The final article focuses on Human Machine Interfaces, the sleek and stylish dashboards that are changing the way we interact with cars

About the sponsor: Mouser Electronics

Mouser Electronics is a worldwide leading authorized distributor of semiconductors and electronic components for over 1,200 manufacturer brands. They specialize in the rapid introduction of new products and technologies for design engineers and buyers. Their extensive product offering includes semiconductors, interconnects, passives, and electromechanical components.