NEXT Future Transportation joins Public Finance thought leadership discussion – contributes perspective on the adoption

LOS ANGELES, California, October 3, 2018 - NEXT Future Transportation Inc. (‘NEXT’), the world’s leading modular-electric vehicle company, is pleased to join municipal finance leaders – from public sector issuers to investors, investment bankers, municipal advisors, rating agencies, buyers and bond counsels to discuss the key topics relating to the advancement of autonomous transportation. 

While public opinion polls show continued skepticism about autonomous driving, the conference highlighted the need for the private sector and federal and state regulators to get together to talk about the future. The panel of experts at the conference agreed on the need to have a national conversation on standards and interoperability between the states. The panel also addressed the emergence of transportation network companies (TNCs) as dominant forces that are drastically changing the transportation landscape. Data suggests that TNCs have contributed to increase in congestion and emissions in communities. 

“In light of these facts, it is also important to look at what these trends mean for mobility. NEXT was founded to serve municipal transportation agencies and the public at large, and we are committed to partnering with cities to enable safe and affordable mobility for everyone,” said Sven Hackmann. “NEXT’s proprietary modular fleets will actually enable cities to take cars off the road and reduce congestion, ultimately redesigning communities around people - not cars.”

Autonomous Vehicles will make transportation cheaper and more accessible, however, there is the risk that it could exacerbate current problems (congestion, pollution) that it was intended to help solve. “NEXT is uniquely able to address this Javons paradox, where technological progress increases the efficiency with which a resource is used (reducing the amount necessary for any one use), but the rate of consumption of that resource rises due to increasing demand”, said Emmanuele Spera, CEO of NEXT.

Moving forward, agencies must increasingly consider public-private partnerships, and explore creative financing options, such as Mobility-as-a-Service, cost sharing and other approaches that will support the introduction of new technologies without requiring significant up-front investments.