\tCar companies BMW and Daimler outlined an ambition to change and shape the urban environment with a new \u20ac1 billion venture, while the director general of Smart Dubai opened up on how the city is combining new technologies to become more sustainable.<\/p>\n
In yesterday’s opening keynote, the German car players said they are investing the sum to make it easier for customers to get around cities without needing to own a car.<\/p>\n
Currently the venture combines Reach Now, a route management and booking service; Charge Now, which provides electric car charging; Free Now, a car-hailing service; Park Now for parking; and Share Now for car-sharing.<\/p>\n
Dubai meanwhile is combining connectivity, AI and blockchain technologies to become more sustainable while simplifying how people use the city\u2019s services.<\/p>\n
[1]The government has set itself the goal of moving from making 1 billion paper transactions with its citizens to none by the end of 2021, Aisha Bin Bishr, director general of Smart Dubai (pictured, right), said during the session. \u201cThe government will not issue or request paper documents. We have two years. We started last year and in less than six months we cut down 57 per cent of paper documents.\u201d<\/p>\n
Dubai aims to go from providing 1,600 services to offering 30 online journeys, one of which might be giving people the ability to own a car.<\/p>\n
Bin Bishr explained that there are several steps involved in procuring a car, including getting a licence, searching for a vehicle and buying insurance. Via the online service, Dubai will provide all the steps in a one-stop-shop.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe government and the private sector [will be] under one umbrella,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n
BMW and Daimler’s new venture will also depend on building a platform that takes a holistic view of a customer\u2019s needs.<\/p>\n
\u201cEverything we do is about network density. If you want people to stop buying cars you need a massive dense network,\u201d said Mark Berg, CEO of FreeNow.<\/p>\n
Longer term, the companies are targeting the market for autonomous electric cars.<\/p>\n[1] https:\/\/www.mobileworldlive.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/02\/Smart_Dubai_DG_AishaBinBishr-e1551202040964.jpg<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Car companies BMW and Daimler outlined an ambition to change and shape the urban environment …<\/p>\n
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