On the 18th March, Camden Clean Air held its first event in The Future of Greentech series – The Future of Greentech: Transport – and it was a brilliant success!
The first speaker slot was filled by Julia Palle and Iain Macbeth, who both spoke about electric vehicles but from very different angles. Julia, as Sustainability Director for Formula E, provided us with an insightful overview of the purpose of electric vehicles in motorsports. She explained that Formula E has a purpose bigger than the sport itself and that the series is underpinned by its founding inspiration to counteract climate change by accelerating the adoption of electric vehicles. Iain Macbeth, Director of Electric Vehicle Strategy for Europe at Enterprise Holdings, spoke about how electric rental car fleets can be the gateway to wider adoption of electric vehicles in everyday life.
The second speaker slot was filled by Imogen Pierce and Daniel Musenga-Grant. Imogen, Head of City Engagement and Integration at Arrival, described how Arrival is going beyond just introducing electric vehicles to cities, but actively engaging with cities to address mobility and sustainability strategic goals. Daniel, an Environmental Consultant at HV Systems, talked us through ‘Hope and the Hydrogen Economy’, covering the problem of climate change, the basics of hydrogen, and the vehicles HVS is bringing to the market.
The third speaker slot was all about government and the grid, providing a wider context to the conversations that had already taken place. Bob Moran, Deputy Director for the Head of Environment Strategy at the Department for Transport talked us through the Government’s approach to transport decarbonisation and achieving net-zero, what that means for people, and what more we can expect in the months ahead as the UK prepares to host the world at COP26 in Glasgow this November. He was followed by Graeme Cooper, Transport Decarbonisation Project Director for the East Coast at National Grid who answered the question can the grid cope, explaining that it isn’t static and that it will evolve to the changing market. He also explained Project Rapid, the Bus Strategy, and the move towards 2030 and the end of sales of petrol and diesel cars.
Finally, we heard from two very exciting people who spoke about zero-emission aircraft and driverless cars. Sergey Kiselev, Head of Europe for ZeroAvia, spoke about their experience with flying hydrogen-electric airplanes. In September 2020, Zeroavia performed its first hydrogen-electric flight out of Cranfield airport and Sergey explained how the company achieved it and what the plans for the future. William Sachiti, Founder of Academy of Robotics, ended the show in a spectacular manner by giving us a ‘live experience’. We were shown a live tour of Kar-go, an autonomous delivery vehicle aimed at the last mile of local delivery. Using a combination of advanced robotics and driver-less vehicle technology, Kar-go removes up to 90% of the cost associated with the last mile of delivery.
Each speaker slot was followed by a panel discussion where the speakers were asked challenging and thought-provoking questions by the audience. Each speaker gave insightful and honest answers, allowing everyone the opportunity to learn plenty.
The next event in The Future of Greentech series will focus on Construction & Dwellings and will take place on 24th June.
