Session: Transport

Opportunities in Sustainable Mobility
Ron Williams,^*   General Motors, retired
Walt Olson,   University of Toledo

The transport of people and materials is one of the key requirements in every vision of a sustainable world. The global automotive industry currently provides for the transport of people and materials by air, land, and sea. However, meeting the needs and wants of a growing global population in a sustainable manner will require major changes in the automotive industry.

This presentation communicates the effort of members of the Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE International) to provide leadership and guidance towards sustainable mobility for all future generations. SAE International has served as the professional society (currently 90,000 members) for automotive engineers for more than 100 years. While the future has always been an important consideration for engineers, the future has taken on increased significance with the intellectual development of the concept of sustainability. In its simplest form, sustainable development is development that provides for the current generation without sacrificing the opportunity for future generations to provide for themselves. Thus the earth’s resources of air, water, land, materials, and natural balances must be used in a fashion that maintains these resources as accessible for future generations to similarly use for their well being. The creativity of engineers and the development of technology will generate opportunities for sustainable mobility and the time to focus on these opportunities is now.

The World Business Council for Sustainable Development report “Mobility 2030” provides a guideline for moving towards sustainable mobility. It identifies seven goal areas that offer opportunities to contribute to a sustainable future. The goal areas are: emissions and wastes below health concern levels, greenhouse gas emissions at sustainable levels, lower traffic deaths and serious injuries globally, lower transport-related noise, mitigate congestion globally, narrow the mobility divides internationally, preserve and enhance mobility opportunities. This presentation recommends life cycle based actions to approach these goals that have been proposed by the Sustainable Development Program Committee, a standing committee reporting to the SAE Engineering Meetings Board. A speakers bureau has been established to disseminate this information both inside and outside the SAE International organization. The knowledge base supporting these recommendations includes, LCA, DFE, DFA, DFR, Green Engineering, supply chain management, environmental management systems, and well-to-wheel fuel studies.

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