Unlocking 21st Century Mobility System: How to Rethink the Future of Mobility and Restore Leadership in Transportation Innovation


This seminal report from SAFE’s Coalition for Reimagined Mobility (ReMo) aims to reset the narrative around transportation innovation on the premise that bold action and coordinated commitment among a diverse set of stakeholders is necessary to unlock the potential of mobility enabling technologies that benefit society and the planet at-large and improve people’s daily lives. 

The report provides a foundation to better understand and identify what has prevented progress toward addressing the major transportation challenges of our time – from consumer demand and acceptance, to market realities and the changing landscape of global competitiveness, with policies that address emissions and air quality, oil dependence and national security, and system efficiency, while enhancing safety, access, opportunity, and human flourishing. 

It further addresses that the United States and its allies are falling behind as the global leaders in the development, testing and deployment of innovative transportation technologies. This includes autonomous vehicles, electrification, vehicle connectivity, new mobility models, and the application and use of advanced data analytics, along with the components, infrastructure, and technology that powers these innovations. Without coordinated action, the automotive and transportation technology sectors of the U.S. and its allies will continue to watch from the sidelines as a global competitor like China position themselves to control the critical industries that will define this century and reap the many benefits of reimagined mobility and industrial capacity. 

Lastly, while the themes of this report have global application, the report primarily, but not exclusively, leverages examples and data that relate to non-rural areas and populations in the United States. Furthermore, it is important to keep in mind that there is no silver bullet. While the broad environmental, societal, and security challenges tied to transportation and energy may be global in their application, they are local in their nature and solutions. And while the defining technologies of a 21st century mobility system are likely to share many common characteristics and trends across the globe, to what extent they are adopted and in what combination will look very different across regions, populations, cultures, and environments.  

As a global initiative, ReMo plans to build on this report with follow on research, analysis, insights, and recommended actions that are specific to understanding and delivering a reimagined mobility system in a variety of global regions, populations, and markets. 

For more information and to download other publications from SAFE’s Coalition for Reimagined Mobility (ReMo), visit reimaginedmobility.org.