The place of the automobile in our contemporary society is the subject of many debates, challenges and even controversies. It is not easy to reconcile sustainable development and all-important mobility.
Yet this is part of the daily mission of the Luxembourg Automobility Cluster and many other similar organisations in the Greater Region.
With a view to improve collaboration and efficiency, the “Pôle automobile européen” (PAE) was created in early summer 2019. Created on the initiative of the Greater East Chamber of Commerce and Industry (in France), this cluster brings together 12 French, German, Belgian and Luxembourg partners.
“The PAE enables us to increase the cross-border and international visibility of our companies and contribute to their development on the international scene”, says Anthony Auert, the manager of the Luxembourg Automobility Cluster.
Decarbonisation of transport
In 2019, the Cluster was also involved in the presentation, in early April, of the digital cross-border test bed project. As its name suggests, it involves partners across borders, in this case German and French, and lays the foundations for tomorrow’s mobility, in which the concept of autonomy will be increasingly present.
Anthony Auert also highlights another important event of the past year: the conference “Hydrogen: hype or real business opportunities?” held at the beginning of the year. It showed that the technology is now mature enough to compete with other energy sources such as “traditional” fuels or electric batteries.
This ecological dimension in the mobility concept will also be one of the pillars of the cluster’s activities in 2020. This is why a new “flagship” project dedicated to the decarbonisation of transport will be implemented later this year. This is a particularly topical subject, given that global transport is responsible for nearly 30% of global greenhouse gas emissions.
Major transformations
“Changes in propulsion modes are revolutionising the mobility sector, but they are also bringing tremendous economic development opportunities,” says Anthony Auert.
The cluster will also be involved in a cross-sectoral project with the Luxembourg Creative Industries Cluster. The aim is to help companies in the automotive sector develop new ideas and concepts, with the help of creative people involved in the ideation process from an early stage.
“Climate change and mobility problems will bring about major transformations in the transport sector,” predicts Anthony Auert. “We are witnessing the development of alternative motorisations – electric, hybrid, H2, with new generations of batteries – as well as new means of transport – drones, autonomous on-demand shuttles, soft mobility, etc. At the same time, the scarcity of raw materials will boost the recovery of waste and reusable components (products) within the framework of circular projects. The automotive sector will also have a role to play in this area.”