Self driving electric cars. Hyperloops. Space travel. Or good old fashioned Shanks′s Pony.
Just how will future generations get around? What will the next travel trends be?
And what does the future of transport look like?
These are just some of the questions that will be explored at the 2018 Northumbrian Water Innovation Festival by a crack team of the most innovative minds from across the country.
The sprint, led by Northern Gas Networks (the gas distributor for the north of England) and VLS, is made up of a whole range of people from the likes of the Energy Saving Trust, Iveco, Toyota, ITM and Green Road. They will spend the festival at Newcastle Racecourse discussing and exploring some of the key issues around transport in the future.
Among the questions being covered will be;
- What type of fuel will we all be using to power journeys in the future
- Will we continue to buy and own vehicles, or just rent as we need?
- How would any radical changes affect our working lives?
- And what impact might they have on our homes and living spaces
Businesses attending the festival are extremely keen to discover how the future of travel will impact on how companies operate and grow going forward.
Never has the race to get from A to B been so exciting or interesting and it′s all being explored at this year′s festival.
Daniel Keating, managing director at Vehicle Lease & Service (VLS) said: "Drivers of the future will see their everyday journeys transformed by new technology. Businesses operating fleets of technically complex specialist vehicles, as well as vans and cars, will need to embrace the advances in alternative fuel technology. VLS is already looking to provide customers with the most effective transport solutions depending on vehicle type and operational demands.
"Vehicle fleet management is also quickly evolving to provide integrated solutions linking the vehicle, driver, workshops, fleet management software and the DVSA. VLS leads the industry with the provision of complex vehicles and the delivery of an integrated compliance management approach. Future fleets will encompass a broad mix of exciting emerging technologies."
Keith Owen, Head of Systems Development and Energy Strategy at Northern Gas Networks said: "As the UK continues its journey to decarbonisation, we cannot overlook the impact of transport and its contribution to carbon emissions. At the moment, the vehicles we use for our everyday journeys rely on fossil fuels but it′s time to look beyond these.
"The Moving On sprint will explore innovative new options and pioneering technology which could transform transport in the UK. From compressed natural gas and electric to hydrogen, we′ll be examining the impact they could have on our lives, our homes and on industry."
Fleet Manager Kate Wilson from Northumbrian Water said: "The ‘Moving On′ sprint is a real highlight for the innovation festival and could potentially lead to changes in how companies and organisations look and deal with transport for the future.
"A lot of people will be really interested to see what comes out of our sprint and here at Northumbrian Water we are always looking to improve and innovate our fleet and are hoping to identify and tap into some emerging trends and technology!"
To find out what the ‘Moving On′ sprint team comes up with during the festival you can follow all of the action live on social media by following @northumbrianh2o on twitter and facebook or by visiting www.innovationfestival.org.
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