Cities and Mobility
A society in which everyone can live and move freely, safely and pollution-free. This includes buildings, landscapes, materials, and programs that make cities — and living in them — cleaner, more efficient, more beautiful, and more equitable for their citizens. It also covers innovations and efforts leading to safe and accessible, low- or zero-carbon transportation forms and efforts to improve current methods of mass transportation of materials.
2011: Waze
Waze is a GPS navigational app that collects user input to provide real-time warnings of auto accidents, speed traps, rerouted traffic, and other disruptions on the road. Waze sends anonymous information, including users' speed and location, back to its database to improve the service as a whole.
2012: Mitsubishi Air Lubrication System for Shipping
This invention aims to cut CO2 emissions from ships and increase fuel efficiency. The system sends air to the bottom of the hull, which creates a layer of bubbles, reducing drag and moving the ship more efficiently. The system cuts CO2 emissions by 13%. The goal is to make it the standard for all vessels, from ferries to bulk carriers to cruise ships.
2013: Getaround
Getaround is a peer-to-peer car-sharing marketplace. It allows car owners to rent their cars to others using a smartphone app. Users of the service can conveniently rent cars by the hour, day, or week. Getaround may be on the path to change the way we move—or at the very least, cut down on pollution and traffic jams.
2014: Proterra’s EcoRide
With fast-charging technology, the EcoRide bus can stay on the road longer than other electric buses while offering safe and energy-efficient transit. With on-route fast charging, the bus can charge in as few as 5 minutes, keeping it in passenger service for as long as required. The composite body of the bus provides a 20% to 40% weight reduction without jeopardizing safety.
2015: Qualcomm Halo
Qualcomm Halo is a wireless approach to charging electrical cars. Their wireless electric vehicle charging (WEVC) technology can charge cars while they're parked or while driving in excess of 100 km per hour.
2016: Quanergy
Quanergy Systems is a provider of time-of-flight LiDAR sensors and perception software for real-time capture and processing of 3D spatial data and object detection, identification, classification, and tracking. Its sensors are disruptive in price, performance, reliability, size, weight, and power while meeting the mass deployment requirement of being a solid-state.
2017: NIO
NIO Inc. manufactures and sells automobiles. The Company offers electric vehicles and parts, as well as provides battery charging services. Its cars feature the latest NAD (NIO Autonomous Driving) technology and are seen as the next Tesla.
2018: Volkswagen
Volkswagen is planning a new line of cheap electric vehicles as part of its massive, multi-billion-dollar push for EV domination. VW wants to bring the cars to market at a cost below €20,000 — about $21,825 at current exchange rates — which could have a mighty effect in democratizing electric cars amongst the masses.
2019: Envio Systems
Commercial buildings waste up to 50% of the energy used and account for 40% of the world’s energy consumption. Envio Systems is a pioneer in next-generation building automation. They have developed an end-to-end building management system capable of turning any existing commercial building into a smart building.
2020: Made of Air
Made of Air is a carbon-negative thermoplastic that can replace traditional materials in the built environment, activating our impending urbanization against climate change.