shared – Silicon Valley Mobility

Book event at the Stanford Research Park – April 13, 2023

Posted on March 14, 2023March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

Mark your calendars – we are having a networking event to discuss my book The Mobility Diaries on April 13, 5pm at Stanford Research Park. This is an in-person event open to the public.

Here’s the program (or visit event page):
5:00 Reception, early guests will get a free book
5:30 “The Mobility Diaries” – A conversation with Dr. Sven Beiker
6:15 Book signing and networking

The Mobility Diaries, published by SAE International, tell my view of how autonomous, connected, electric, and shared vehicles have come about. Now I look forward to a good discussion and am eager to get your take on the matter.

Registration is now open at: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/author-event-with-dr-sven-beiker-tickets-575687134717

See you there!

Click here to register for the event on Apr 13

SAE International Blog about The Mobility Diaries

Posted on February 22, 2023March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

Thank you SAE International for blogging about my new book, The Mobility Diaries: https://www.sae.org/blog/meet-the-author-sven-beiker

It summarizes the interview we did not too long ago when I shared how the idea for the book came about, why it is important to me to connect the past – present – future of mobility, and how Detroit and Silicon Valley need one another.

Read more in the blog, or better yet, buy the book!
http://themobilitydiaries.com

The Mobility Diaries – Podcast Interview with the SAE Publishers

Posted on October 12, 2022March 14, 2023 by SiliconValleyMobility

Meet the Author: The Mobility Diaries: Connecting the Milestones of Innovation Leading to ACES

Watch the Sep 2022 interview featuring Shane Bialowas, Angela Kenner, and & Sven Beiker, discussing his new book. In The Mobility Diaries he opens up his personal diary regarding his take on 50 years of mobility innovation and history interwoven with his experiences in the automotive and mobility industries including autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, and shared mobility.

New book coming out – Meet the Author event with SAE Publishers

Posted on September 16, 2022September 20, 2022 by SiliconValleyMobility

So we are getting real: My book “The Mobility Diaries” is now finally coming out. Join us on September 21 for a “Meet the Author” online session hosted by SAE International, my publisher.

Here’s a bit more about the book:
Sven Beiker is specializing in future trends for the automotive and mobility industries including autonomous driving, connectivity, electrification, and shared mobility. In “The Mobility Diaries: Connecting the Milestones of Innovation Leading to ACES”, he opens up his personal diary regarding his take on 50 years of mobility innovation and history interwoven with his experiences from 1978 to 2018.

From the Foreword by Reilly Brennan: “Understanding how transportation itself evolved requires a unique prism. The core components of vehicles today have stories and engineering journeys worth their own telling, and that is what is so exciting about the way we can learn about them in this text. Dr. Beiker’s curriculum vitae, from BMW to Stanford University to McKinsey, are a compendium of experiences that created this unique historical and biographical book.”

“Sven and I are kindred spirits in the mobility world. His view on the evolution of mobility and technology illustrates why Detroit and Silicon Valley need one another.” Carla Bailo, Former President and CEO, Center for Automotive Research

The book can be purchased at SAE International right away and soon everywhere where you can buy books.

Click here to register for the webcast on Sep 2 1

Guest on the Driving Green podcast

Posted on April 25, 2021April 25, 2021 by SiliconValleyMobility

This was a great discussion with Ronald Mikhail AngSiy, Kyle Kennedy, and Kevin Wang on the future of autonomy and transportation. We covered quite a few topics at the following time marks:
05:30 – History of Autonomy and ADAS
10:15 – Autonomous Hardware Trends
18:30 – City vs Suburban Environments
25:00 – What is Mobility?
35:15 – What will Autonomy Unlock?
44:00 – City Design
49:00 – Ride Sharing
56:25 – Tesla’s “FSD” Approach
69:53 – Carbon Footprint

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, November 2020

Posted on December 7, 2020December 7, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Mobility Services & Motorsports – What it takes to win and what the race is all about

BMW and Daimler appear to be in talks with Uber to sell their mobility services and GM also brought their Maven program to an end earlier this year. This begs the question if car companies are not capable of running a shared mobility business. However, one also needs to admit that none of the big companies in shared mobility seem to be profitable.

To understand what is going on, the analogy to motorsports actually helps because both (i.e. mobility services and motorsports) are about innovation, advertising, and expansion. Similarly, both are often programs that cost several hundreds of million dollars a year.

Therefore, one should see venturing into mobility services more like an endurance race that requires constant improvements and adjustments, but can ultimately lead to market share if not market dominance.

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, October 2020

Posted on October 30, 2020October 30, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Outlook at the Rest of 2020 – elections, shared mobility and driverless vehicles

2020 has been a strange year, but it’s not over yet: we will have the U.S. elections in just a few days now. Here in California, Proposition 22 is on the ballot. We get to say whether the drivers for Uber, Lyft, DoorDash etc. are independent contractors or employees. The outcome of this vote, which is one of the highest funded propositions in the history of California, will have great implication for the business and operation of shared mobility – in an extreme case those services might come to an end.

Should those mobility services cease – which probably is not too likely after all, then the solution might lie in driverless solutions. Therefore it is interesting to note that Waymo – just like every October for the last 3 years – just made announcements that driverless rides are coming to the public. We will see what’s behind this. In my mind, for broad deployment, infrastructure investments are essential, which in return might be impacted by the outcome of the presidential elections in the U.S.

Certainly 2020 is not over yet, either way it will have been quite a year.

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, September 2020

Posted on September 27, 2020September 27, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

The State of ACES – What’s up with autonomous-connected-electric-shared?

What has been going on in ACES (autonomous – connected – electric – shared mobility) lately? Not so much? It seems things have lost steam, or at least attention has shifted. Autonomous driving used to be the hot topic, but lately EVs – cars and trucks – have been getting a lot of media interest, regulators’ attention, and certainly business activity.

In this Chart of the Month I am a bit “reading the tea leaves” as I analyze Google Trends as to how much interest there has been in those mobility topics. One actually finds that electric vehicles as a topic has been steadily increasing for the last five years, while autonomous driving has had a few peaks here and there, but has not really built up much more momentum since summer 2016.

Now, this is not a scientific analysis and not real data indicating technology progress. But taking it all together, it reflects in my mind where future mobility as a hole stands – it might be just the calm before the storm…

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, July 2020

Posted on July 30, 2020August 27, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Chart of the Month by Silicon Valley Mobility for July 2020 – Shared mobility is here to stay

A client recently asked if it is about time to drop the “S” in “ACES”. The underlying question was if shared mobility actually has a future in light of the 2020 crisis with people concerned about sharing and no one traveling anywhere. So here is my answer:

As the chart summarizes, analysts still see double digit growth for shared mobility in recently updated revenue forecasts for 2025. The market is largely driven by ride hailing, i.e. services like Didi, Gett, Uber, etc. Micro mobility (scooters and bicycles), which operate with relatively low fees, have surpassed car sharing in global revenues in 2019. While ultimate conclusions should be done with caution, it seems possible that car sharing might not remain in key market through the 2020s.

Such trends emphasize that consumers increasingly appreciate mobility “access over ownership”, i.e. services are key. That does not however automatically mean “sharing” as e.g. ride hailing is not really a shared trip.

Given those observations, one might want to use “commoditization” instead of “shared mobility”. In that sense – yes, we might drop the “S” in “ACES” and replace it with another “C”. That would make it “ACEC”, which does not roll off of the tongue nicely.

Thoughts anyone?

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, June 2020

Posted on June 26, 2020July 8, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Deciding between keep or cut.

This month we review recent news about mobility related ventures that got impacted by the pandemic. While there are quite some bad news, it should also not go unnoticed that there’s good news as well. Seemingly, it is not about “all or nothing” but about “the right” thing.

The question becomes how to decide what tasks, projects, investments etc. to keep and what to let go.

The key to success is to prioritize the portfolio from the top using a metric that is unique to one organization and also to let gut feeling play a role to make sure the result is the right thing. Communication matters a lot in this as the team needs to be coached in a potentially different situation, and therefore it is important to motivate.

While we do know how long past downturns lasted, no one can tell how long this one will take. Competitors also don’t know and are probably asking the same question. However, one thing is for sure, that a crisis will be over at some point and it is important to get through a challenging situation with a streamlined portfolio and a motivated team.

Microelectronics Power the Future of Mobility – Part 2: Opportunities for Electronics

Posted on June 22, 2020June 22, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Microelectronics Power the Future of Mobility – the second part of the SEMI article how electronics enable much of autonomous, connected, electric, and shared mobility

We discuss here the estimates that the automotive software and electrical/electronic (E/E) components markets combined will grow at a 7% CAGR from USD 238 billion in 2020 to US$469 billion by 2030.

For me it is always important to note that this is not an entirely new trends but goes back to the 1970s when electronic fuel injection, ABS, and on-board computer were introduced.

The ACES trends now show great opportunity for the automotive and electronics industries to work even closer together, which is what SEMI fosters with the Global Automotive Advisory Council and the Smart Mobility initiative.

Microelectronics Power the Future of Mobility – Part 1: Autonomous, Connected, Electric and Shared

Posted on June 15, 2020June 15, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Microelectronics Power the Future of Mobility – nice write-up with my colleagues at SEMI. We are highlighting how electronics enable much of autonomous, connected, electric, and shared mobility. The numbers speak for themselves: by 2025, 14% of all integrated circuits produced globally are projected to go into vehicles.

Great opportunities for the auto and electronics industries to collaborate even more. For that, see also SEMI’s Smart Mobility initiative and the Global Automotive Advisory Council.

In the forthcoming second part, we will be adding that this is not entirely new as electronics have already contributed greatly to efficiency, safety, and convenience of automobiles since the 1970s. Stay tuned…

Future of Mobility – virtual fireside chat w/ Mario Herger

Posted on June 11, 2020June 11, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Mario Herger and Sven Beiker discussed different viewpoints on the combined effect of autonomous driving, electric vehicles, and the sharing economy.

We are on the verge of changing our life as we know it. The way people get around today won’t be recognizable by 2030 – and the impact will be huge. Vehicles will increasingly drive themselves, powered by renewable electric energy, connected via ultra-fast data networks, and shared via mobility platforms. While many agree that those are the directions into the future of mobility, there is still some disagreement regarding the speed at which we are moving in those directions.

Some say that the driver’s license will soon be a thing of the past, others point out that things take time given inertia in the industry, market, and regulation. Those different viewpoints make for a great discussion among the two experts for a virtual fireside chat hosted by GABA – German American Business Association on May 26, 2020.

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, May 2020

Posted on May 28, 2020June 11, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Happy anniversary Silicon Valley Mobility! It’s been 3 great years and with that about time to review how it has been going and what the firm actually is. Therefore, as many have been asking about details and specifics, here’s “Silicon Valley Mobility by the Numbers”.

Just recently the 50th client found its way to the firm and most engagements last 12 months or longer. About 20% of the project volume is from speaking engagements, which says that most engagements are non-public consulting projects with clients that are not advertised on the website. And there have been thus far 6 advisory board positions at startups that are also an important part of those engagements and learning.

Silicon Valley Mobility also has a network of almost 100 on-demand domain experts who are ready to team up for projects as needed. Finally, also the vast connections on LinkedIn help to mutually seek and give advice with colleagues.

Thank you all!

The Future of the Automated Mobility Industry: A Strategic Management Perspective

Posted on May 20, 2020May 20, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

I am proud to have co-authored this paper with Prof. Robert Burgelman at the Stanford University Graduate School of Business.

Our paper examines the automation and sharing aspects of the competitive dynamics of the emerging automated mobility industry. It applies strategic management, technological innovation and forecasting frameworks to examine how the different categories of industry entrants position themselves and interact with one another, and their differential chances for success.

Related to the different types of entrants it considers various criteria of success, including expected market share of vehicle sales versus miles serviced, and the number of systems, technology solutions, or licenses sold. Whether firms enter the automated mobility industry with a lateral move from an adjacent industry or as startups without preexisting experience turns out to be an important strategic distinction for predicting success.

The rate at which the industry is shifting also plays an important role because it defines how much time incumbents have to adapt to change and how much time new entrants have before their investments must begin to generate positive cash flows.Our analysis suggests that tech companies, ADAS suppliers, and startups with a welldefined focus are most likely to succeed. The paper ends with highlighting important strategic issues for further discussion with automotive industry researchers, industry analysts, and leading practitioners.

Keywords: automotive industry, automated driving, autonomous driving, autonomous vehicles, shared mobility, driver assistance, ADAS, strategy, disruption, innovation management

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, Apr 2020

Posted on April 30, 2020May 8, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

“Don’t go where the puck is, go where it is going to be.” – this famous saying from hockey also applies to the mobility industry, innovation strategy, and also crisis management. There are many examples where a startup aims to be “the next” of something, e.g. “the next Tesla”. Or we might say in this current crisis that “sharing is a thing of the past”.

But what we do all too often is connecting just too few data points and extrapolating from them under the assumption that things will evolve linearly. We much rather need to account for all the twists and turns that those developments might take and therefore we should not aim to be “the next” of something but to create our own future. We need to envision what it will be, and then think backwards how we will have gotten there.

Some food for thought, definitely applies to the thinking what autonomous, connected, electric, and shared mobility will be in the future and how they might be affected by the current crisis.

Silicon Valley Mobility Chart of the Month, Jan 2020

Posted on January 30, 2020February 17, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Here we are in 2020 and where are the flying cars and where are the self-driving automobiles? At the beginning of a new decade I review my own forecasts from the past 10+ years and highlight things I got right and those that were a bit off. I also recommend that “forecasting” should rather be done as “projections”, i.e. one is at some point in time now and projects into the future. This should be done in different categories, such as events / innovations that are “certain”, “probable”, or simply just “possible” to happen. Either way, this makes for a interesting self-reflection that I can only recommend to everyone in the field of new mobility and future thinking. It is always good to look back “… what was I thinking?!” I hope you agree this deserves a 7:42 min video. Let me know what you think…

Mobility Outlook 2020 – Interview w/ Mario Herger

Posted on January 13, 2020February 17, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Sven Beiker of Silicon Valley Mobility and Mario Herger met again for a short mobility talk at the beginning of 2020 and analyzed the current situation.

Topics we discussed included:

Autonomous driving in 2020
Tesla share: still just a hype?
Tesla Gigafactory 3 & 4
Future of traditional car makers

Silicon Valley and Detroit Need One Another, Dr. Sven Beiker, Samsung Forum

Posted on June 24, 2019February 17, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Silicon Valley is often called “The New Detroit” and Detroit likes to brag that it has a long-standing history of startups with an entrepreneurial spirit that is still alive today. What’s more, basically all automotive corporations have now R&D locations in Silicon Valley and “in return” tech companies plan to manufacture their autonomous vehicles in Michigan. It seems there is a battle between Detroit and Silicon Valley as to who will win the race toward the future of the automobile. However, this race is much more about collaboration than it is about competition as no player can win just by itself. In this talk, Dr. Sven Beiker looks at the strengths that Detroit and Silicon Valley bring to the table when it comes to autonomous, connected, electric, and shared automobiles. He also discusses the necessary technology to create a world of sustainable, safe, and enjoyable mobility to suggest which ingredients from Detroit and Silicon Valley the automobile of the future will need.

Summer Summit 2019 Day 3 Mobility: Keynote Sven Beiker, Silicon Valley Mobility

Posted on June 14, 2019July 21, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Keynote on the mobility trends at the Plug&Play Summer Summit 2019

Chart of the Month 2018/01 – Interview w/ Mario Herger

Posted on February 22, 2018February 17, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

Chart of the Month by Silicon Valley Mobility for January 2018 – infrastructure requirements for advanced mobility and funding gap

The last half year of the chart of the month (07-12/2017) covered the individual trends autonomous, connected, electrified, and shared mobility. The question was often asked, what is missing to move forward in those categories toward a scenario of self-driving, fully connected, all-electric, and conveniently shared vehicles.

The answer is “infrastructure!”, which this month’s chart summarizes. There are 3 categories of infrastructure needed in mobility:
(1) the cvil or built infrastructure with roads, traffic signs
(2) the tech infrastructure with communication and charge networks
(3) the legal infrastructure with permits, standards, taxation

The challenge however is that infrastructure is largely underfunded in many countries; in the U.S. less than half of the existing needs (mostly building and repairing the current roads and bridges…) are covered. That poses big challenges and public-private partnerships are needed to move forward on the agenda for advanced mobility.

The future of personal mobility – Sven Beiker at Seoul Motor Show Conference 2017

Posted on May 20, 2017February 17, 2020 by SiliconValleyMobility

The future of the automobile is autonomous, connected, electric, and shared – there doesn’t seem to be much debate about this. However, when and how those trends are going to shape up is subject to much discussion. This talk by Sven Beiker at the Seoul Motor Show in April 2017 takes a fresh look at those trends and what can be expected when.