The road to zero-emission transport

We are well on our way to running the world without consuming the earth.

I felt very proud when Fortune Magazine recently recognized ABB for its achievements in e-mobility and electric vehicle charging technology, ranking us #8 in its annual list of companies who are ‘changing the world’.

It was therefore a real honor when I was invited to join like-minded international politicians, business leaders and strategists on stage at the first global Zero Emission Vehicle Summit on the 11th of September in London.

This landmark event represented one clear vision for everyone involved – that we must all come together now to accelerate the adoption of sustainable energy solutions across the world.

No one solution can achieve the ambitious objective of zero emission transport. As I explained in my presentation at the summit, to make true change happen, it will take a well-established and integrated ecosystem, made up of four key components, which will collectively test our global societal resolve to make this happen:

  1. The availability of high performance and competitively priced electric vehicles
  2. Accessibility of reliable and fast charging infrastructure
  3. Grid reinforcement, with the use of digital technologies to efficiently manage power supply and power consumption, and
  4. The integration of renewable power generation

At ABB, we have the pleasure of collaborating with leading automotive manufacturers who are driving the future for EVs. Meanwhile our 130 year history as a global pioneering leader means that we are well positioned to help deliver the other three, all of which are enabled via the company’s advanced digital management solution, ABB Ability.

Nowhere is this better demonstrated than through the partnership between ABB and the ABB FIA Formula E championship. Together we are pushing the boundaries of technology for the benefit of consumers, something I was delighted British Prime Minister Theresa May recognized in the opening of her address at the Zero Emission Vehicle Summit on that day .

So, what does the future of sustainable mobility look like? Well, I think it looks good, but the path to zero-emission transport will not be easy.  When has it ever been easy to drive a revolution on such an epic scale? We are well on our way to running the world without consuming the earth. As the available technology becomes cleaner and more efficient, reliable and flexible, it is expected that renewables will continue to be the world’s fastest-growing source of energy over the next two decades, and I’m personally very excited to be a part of the journey.

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About the author

Tarak Mehta

Tarak Mehta is the President of the Electrification business and has been a member of ABB’s Group Executive Committee since 2010. He took up his present role in January 2016. The Electrification business delivers safe, smart and sustainable electrification to customers through a market leading portfolio of products, solutions, and services. Tarak Mehta was President of the low voltage division from October 2010 to the end of 2015. Prior to that he held a number of senior management roles including head of ABB’s Transformers business from 2007 to 2010, Product Group Manager, Breakers and Switches in high voltage from 2004 to 2006, and numerous other management positions working in the U.S., Sweden and Switzerland. Before joining ABB in 1998, he worked for nine years at Cooper Power Systems in the U.S. from 1989 to 1997. Tarak has a degree in mechanical engineering from Purdue University obtained in 1989 and an MBA in finance and marketing from the University of Chicago, earned in 2000.
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