The Future of Mobility | Covestro LLC

At Covestro, we predict that autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and vehicles built for ridesharing purposes will shift the focus from the driving experience to the riding experience. As a result, we’re reinventing our material offerings and expanding our traditional partnerships to provide high value technologies that enable the future riders will demand.

Imagine a world where the majority of the population doesn’t own a vehicle. Our Future of Mobility team foresees this reality is closer than you may think. Here’s what our research predicts:

Mobility as a Service (MaaS) is a new business model that shifts personal car ownership to on-demand mobility services.
With less private ownership and more fleet-owned vehicles entering the market, wait times, access points and cost will soon favor not owning a vehicle.
A large portion of the population will begin to participate in “AirBnB-like” services for car sharing in order to spread out the cost of high-priced vehicles.
The high-volume usage model of fleet owned rideshare vehicles will require extremely durable and cleanable materials both inside and out. These fleet owners might even be the ones specifying what materials will go into future vehicles built for ridesharing purposes.

Combining our rich history in automotive applications with an eye on the future of mobility, Covestro is pursuing collaborative opportunities to develop innovations that help drive the automotive industry forward, from concept to mass production.

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Collaborations

Designing the Future: A project with the College for Creative Studies

Covestro has joined forces with young designers at the College for Creative Studies in Detroit, Mich., to explore how polycarbonate and polyurethane materials can provide high value riding experiences. Over the course of one semester, the young designers researched trends shaping the future of mobility and created autonomous vehicle interiors for the years 2030 and beyond. The vehicle interiors were designed for a wide range of user scenarios such as public transportation, private ownership, recreational vehicles, medical transportation and more. Designs utilized polycarbonate and polyurethane materials to improve both vehicle functionality and rider experience factors such as efficiency, cleanliness, and a welcoming environment. Working with the College for Creative Studies and exploring the design phase of autonomous vehicle interiors allows Covestro to effectively meet the material needs of tomorrow.

"Covestro has supplied the automotive industry for over 50 years. With disruption from autonomous vehicles, electric vehicles, and vehicles built for ridesharing, we are excited about our increased collaboration with industry leaders to redefine our material specifications to meet the demands of future unmet needs."

Paul Platte, Polycarbonate Mobility

Roadtrip 2030:

At this innovative event, Covestro invited key thought leaders in the Automotive Industry to discuss trends, concepts and materials shaping the Future of Mobility.

Check out our recap video here.

Check out our Future of Mobility virtual reality experience here.