Tomorrow's transport

The European Union's interest in the subject clearly illustrates the stakes involved in tomorrow's transport : it has included it as one of the five pillars of the European Green Pact for a climate-neutral continent by 2050. But goodwill isn't everything. The question of " mobility " is a vast one, involving a wide range of fields such as economics, technological development, chemistry, urban planning, law and sociology. We hear more and more about electric vehicles and autonomous cars. But what about the technological reality ? Will we see cars driven safely by artificial intelligence (or AI) in the next five years, or only in the next twenty years ? In the event of an accident, who will be liable ? The passenger who has confidently delegated the driving of his car to an AI, or the developer who has developed and marketed it ? The law will have to adapt. The same applies to electric vehicles: what energy sources should be used to power the entire fleet ? Can the electrical grid keep up with demand ? Will there be enough materials to produce and equip tomorrow's vehicles ? What role will recycling play ? We've only talked about cars here, but planes, trains and boats are other forms of transport that need to be taken into account. Each has its own specific features and problems. Not all these means of transport will be able to run on electricity. It's not technically feasible. So what other sources of energy (biomass, hydrogen, synthetic fuels, etc.) should be developed ? And let's not forget that needs are not the same in cities, suburban areas and the countryside. So how can we adapt public policies to the different local realities ? Rethinking mobility can also mean reshaping territories in depth. In this case, can we limit the impact on the biodiversity and Ecosystems crossed ?

The above list is not exhaustive, but it already shows the need to question a wide variety of experts to anticipate all the problems ahead. Our conference " Demain, les transports " will attempt, through the diversity of its speakers, and in all modesty, to offer the widest possible panorama of the situations to be taken into account and the solutions that can be found. The aim of the symposium is not to predict the future, but to facilitate its advent by tackling, at its own level, the complexity and diversity of the various issues that tomorrow's transport will inevitably raise.