The Future of Personal Transportation

HDCS 4372

Juan Carlos Acuna

Personal Transportation or

EPAMDs (Electric Personal Assistive Motorized Devices)or

“Rideables” • Anyone can be a customer. However the typical customer base would include students and

young adults.

• The boundaries of Personal Transportations consists of:

• Hover Boards

• Solo-Wheels

• Power Risers

• Foldable Bikes

• Hover Shoes

• Segways

• The success of Personal Transportation

will someday replace:

• Traditional Bikes

• Roller Skates

• Skate boards

• Scooters

Currently…

• EPAMD’s are high in demand especially during the holidays as ideal gifts. Our generation is in constant search for the most high-tech gadget to own.

• Laws are on the rise to limit usage of EPAMD’s as well as other safety precautions.

• Several groups and Organizations have already began to promote the future success path of EPAMD’s including:

• Renegade Movement – Cutting edge company dedicated to transforming the way people use technology.

• Segway Group Glides

• Seg. America

• Segway Enthusiasts Group

• Segway Special Interests Group

Baseline Future!• Trends: Personal mobility devices are in current high trends, where the public is

demanding more. Personal Transportations is at an ever growing number of form with literally no cap or limitation. Moe speed, efficiency, styles, originality, and features,

• Announced Plans: The re-invention of the traditional past personal transportation devices are each undergoing and searching for possible alternative features to include the next big thing.

• Projections: Alternate models of personal transportations will be the standard mode of commuting travel distance in the near future.

• Key Drivers:

• Demand for fresh new innovations, the colors/styles and uniqueness

• Commuter neediness for quick easy access mobility on the go

• Behaviors that crave less effort exhausted in everyday life. (laziness)

• Celebrity icons who are current users of these devices.

“Rideables”

With advancement in technology and the refinement traditional personal mobility devices brings a fresh, innovative, and odd style of of individual transportation. Labelled “Rideables” for short are equipped with battery

powered motors perfect for short commuting distances. Multiple forms are being molded and perfected to compliment modernized lifestyles, behaviors,

and needs. By 2025 high expectations for demand are predicted to develop leaving behind traditional scooters, skateboards, and bikes.

Alternative Futures…

• Trend Breaks:

• Unfortunately, price tags for rideables may be the downfall of the invention altogether.

• America is also known for obesity, so in response possible social groups and movements focusing to revive active habits and lifestyles may demand for traditional bikes/scooters/skateboards as a countertrend.

• Unfulfilled Plans:

• If rideable technology and innovation is able to reduce price levels matching the affordable cost of typical bikes/scooters/skateboards this alternative might have a possibility of succeeding.

• Active based celebrity endorsements can sway active individuals into purchasing, and available consumer fit guides can distinguish how the devices compliment these active, working, and busy lifestyles.

• As traffic congestion continues to grow within cities, the possibility of personal transportation devices can be a viable option in avoiding freeways, highways, and streets by riding on empty sidewalks instead.

Questionable Future…

The rise of personal transportation devices has the potential to be a long-lasting substitute for city dwelling commuters and innovation enthusiasts.

• Unfortunately, high prices bridge the gap to discern whether price is worth the benefits to own.

• Without the affordability that traditional mobility devices have, mainstream users will have a harder time to include any EPAMD into their needs or wants. This may be seen as unaffordable luxury, whereas walking is simply an obvious choice.

• At the same time growing obesity problems in America may spark new social movements and organizations, which will cause a massive decline in supply and demand.

• With this in mind, only a few people with the targeted fit physique are able to use the devices. Leaving out many who are either too big for the dimensions or are partially imbalanced.

Nevertheless, it is speculated that these devices insinuate lazy habits that result with obesity beginning at younger ages.

• Aside from the influences these devices may cause, safety precautions may limit usage to specified places within the city, adding to the controversy that cons may outweigh the pros in the end.

Only time will tell how the social views will change and affect the progression of EPAMD.

Implication Analysis

• Key Implications:

• High Price Tag decreases consumer value and overall demand.

• Bad habits and lazy lifestyles insinuated by motorized mobility devices may lead to increases demand for social movements.

• Society consistently demands for new types of mobility with unique colors, features, and styles.

• Advancement in Rideable technology may become the permanent replacement for traditional devices.

• Safety precautions may limit usage to specified places within the city, adding to the controversy that cons may outweigh the pros in the end

Implication Analysis:

Future Wheel

Implication Analysis… (Cont.)

• Most Important Implications:

• If high prices don’t lower

• Overall value and brand image/name will be branded as an overpriced useless luxury

• Added EPAMD laws

• Exact opposite might occur, which is an increase in traditional man powered mobility devices.

• Need for continual technology advancement for affordable prices

• Thin line between failure and success. Dire need for affordable prices to reach the masses, if not only the wealthy will always be the main consumer.

• Influential bad habits and lazy lifestyles

• Social groups and organizations will be the downfall of EPAMDs if not dealt with in advance. Focus should be placed on the benefits in efficiency rather than the negative consequences.

Leading Indicators:• The first among many variations of future EPAMDs will have longer

sustained batteries and distance combatting gas powered automobile sales.

• Companies envision the age of mobile employees moving about from household to desk without ever leaving their transportation device for max efficiency.

• EPAMDs are on the rise to surpass traditional automotive options for daily commute and are simply iconic during this age of time.

• Supporting this technology could bridge doors to personal flying or hover devices eventually replacing EPAMDs, and this generation above all prides in this aspect.

• Traditional Bikes, scooters, and skate boards have become a sight of obsolete inventions. Traditional bike/skate shops now incorporate EPAMDs into their inventory to compete in the market and keep up with changing consumer wants/needs

Summary…

• Surprising Bits of Info:

• There are several indicators debating whether personal transportation will succeed in the future such as: the high price cost, social movements and company efficiency.

• Interesting Futures:

• Depending on the string of events that take place on the upcoming years, personal transportation may either be a success or a disaster. It is highly uncertain to depict which will happen, however a bright future might be more of an outcome due to current growth in business and celebrity notoriety.

• Important Implications:

• Important issues revolve around current laws prohibiting personal transportation usage within the city limits, possible bad habits insinuated by EPAMD’s, and of course the dilemma of high prices.

Summary…

• Key Insights:

• If research and development persists and high prices decline, there may be a possible surge of breakthrough of normality. Mainstream users will be able to partake in the movement at affordable prices, however regardless of this breakthrough upcoming foreseeable laws will more than halt that progress.

• If not students and young adults to target, companies will include senior citizens in their targeted market.

• Future laws may prohibit usage, but current EPAMD laws have never stopped the growth of traditional bikes, scooters, and skateboards; why should it in any way completely halt future EPAMD progress.

• EPAMD’s are still fairly catching attention and notoriety during our generation, and will become a norm by 2025 as development continues. By then Traditional bikes, scooters, skates, skate boards shall be deemed by society as the obsolete method of mobility.

• The rise of EPAMD is connected to growing city populations. The greater the population, the greater the need for an alternative mode of transportation. So as the population continues to rise so shall EPAMD progress. Ensuring success for the future of Personal Transportation.