Future will demand a multitude of mobility options
With the world’s major cities choking on traffic, one potential mobility solution may actually be found in a project aimed at developing nations.
Detroit-area independent mobility consultant and author Chris Borroni-bird, who has overseen auto research projects for General Motors, Chrysler, Waymo and Qualcomm, is developing a solar-powered, electric concept called Afreecar that could work for multiple uses.
“I want to put the heart back into technology,” said Borroni-bird, who co-authored the book Reinventing the Automobile: Personal Urban Mobility in the 21st Century with colleagues from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. “Improving mobility is one of the keys in lifting people out of poverty.”
Borroni-bird’s vision is to create an e-kit containing a small electric motor, reuse old lithium ion batteries and a solar panel for charging. The 2.5 kwh motor and battery would be the size of a briefcase. The separate panel would be the size of a table and capable of generating 300 watts.
With 10 to 12 hours of sunshine daily in sub-saharan Africa, Borroni-bird said that would be enough to produce a daily range of 32-48 km.
He got his idea after watching locals in rural villages in Mali, who didn’t have access to electricity, use a solar panel to recharge old lead batteries to provide light at night or pump water from deep wells.
“Imagine the benefit three horsepower could provide in transporting a lightweight vehicle,” said Borroni-bird, who has done volunteer work in Mali for over a decade.
“The performance requirements I’m talking about are very modest by westerns standards, but they’re a game changer when it comes to changing people’s lives for the better in the developing world.”
With a standardized e-kit, the Liverpool, England, native said mass production could ensure quality, durability and scales of economy to keep costs down. The body of the car could be built using available local materials. “You could take plastic bottles that are creating a land waste issue and make a 3D printed structure or maybe you take bamboo, wood or scrap metal that are available,” Borroni-bird said.
“You could use bicycle wheels or motorbike wheels from the scrap yard. All those components are readily available in big cities around the world.”
Borroni-bird said the project has received financial backing from a major automotive foundation. He receives engineering support from Michigan-based Altair Engineering Inc., which has offices in Canada and 23 other countries, and the Cambridge graduate has also worked in conjunction with the University of Michigan. He works pro-bono on Afreecar and recruits companies like Altair for support, which do the same.
In addition to bringing mobility to more people, Borroni-bird said the project would generate jobs. Micro-factories could produce smaller, lightweight vehicles in communities where they’re used. It would also provide demand for the millions of spent lithium batteries that will come over the next decade from waves of electric cars.
As more and more cities limit the access of cars to their cores, he sees a need for different types of mobility. Low speed, perhaps solar powered and even autonomous vehicles are well suited to such controlled environments.
“I think cities, because so much of the world’s driving takes place in low speed, places like city centres, deserve their own solution with vehicles that are far more sustainable.”