The road to sustainability has been long. Throughout the developed world, each mark of innovation has led us further down the path towards functionality and accessibility. Today, the emergence of technology has provided eTukTuk with the platform to expand and grow our capabilities together. eTukTuk has developed a unique blockchain solution – the world’s first on Cardano – to tackle some of our planet’s biggest challenges.
Today, we are on a precipice of undeniable change. Humanity’s years of Automotive invention have become an essential innovation that we cannot go without. If we are to make equality and the reduction of climate change our priority, we must act on this together, now.
Humans have long thrived thanks to the stability of the planet. For ten thousand years, it has helped to perpetuate our dreams of creating the next model of success. It has provided us with the materials and clean air we need to thrive. However, everything is changing. Our thirst for modernity must now seek to protect the planet as climate change threatens life as we know it.
Never has there been a time when our planet has seen such instability or inequality for billions across the globe. Yet, those who have done the least to cause it are the hardest hit. They are being left behind in the wake of global superpowers. These economies have focused on the capitalism that has fuelled their rise.
So, how did we get here? What can we do to reverse climate change and the disparity most keenly felt throughout the developing world?
The Road to Fossil Fuel ICE Vehicles
The Earliest EVs
EVs, or some version of them, have been in existence for almost 200 years. They pre-date the fossil fuel-powered Internal Combustion Engine (ICE). Many attribute the first EV to Hungarian Priest and physicist Anyos Jedlik. He powered a small, model carriage with an electric motor in 1828. The attribution of the EV’s creation cannot go to any one person. Scottish inventor Robert Anderson designed a passenger carriage between 1832 and 1839. Inventor, Professor Sibrandus Stratingh from the Netherlands formulated a small electric car in 1885. Thomas Parker built the first production line EV in 1884. Andreas Flocken invented the Elektrowagen in 1888. This was a vehicle that more closely resembled the electric car as we know it today.
The Earliest ICE Engines
The very first concept of the ICE ‘engine’ is recorded in 1680 when Christiaan Huygens created an internal combustion engine. This was known as the ‘Gunpowder Engine’ and was used to water the gardens at the Palace of Versailles. Over 100 years of steam-powered cars (or external combustion engines), had long since passed. It was not long before the tinkering with gas and powder mixture engines came to an end. (Thanks to their unpredictability.) It was at the end of this epoch that the first ICE engine was built.
Nicolaus Otto and Eugen Langen invented the gasoline engine in 1867, amid a global race to invent and redefine transportation. However, it wasn’t until Karl Friedrich Benz in Germany,1885, that the first successful ICE petrol engine was built. It could reach a speed of 13-16km or roughly 8-10mph. Needless to say, things only sped up from here.
The Revolution of Ford
Henry Ford was the chief American Industrialist of the mass-production vehicle assembly line. He was the first to make it more affordable and accessible for at least middle-class Americans to own a car. With a group of investors at his back, they pushed through the instability of those early days of passenger transportation. They recognised the opportunity and scale of innovation that lay ahead. This sparked the birth of mass transportation, which ignited a revolution in adoption that eventually spread around the globe.
The Modern TukTuk
Since then, transportation has been redefined in both shape and size, springing up from the need for more affordable solutions. After World War II, many Italians could not afford personal transportation. This led to the need to invent a more affordable vehicle to mobilise the country after the expense of war.
The first modern TukTuk was first invented by Piaggio in 1946. It first hit the assembly line in 1948. The Piaggio Ape – a VespaCar or TriVespa – was a three-wheeled light commercial vehicle. Unrivalled for its versatility, it has therefore stood the test of time. From its inception to now, this modern form of transport has since traversed the world. It has ended up in countries that require the same level of affordability; like those across the developing world.
As the team at eTukTuk discovered during our research, TukTuks emit more CO2 than a passenger car. This very fact has led us here – to the start of the modern rEVolution. Noisy TukTuks fill the streets in countries like South Asia and Africa are at the root of stagnation and inequality. Developing regions need innovation, now.
Our Downfall
Today, modern transportation has benefitted from the climb of innovation. The very transport that has helped us evolve has ultimately become our downfall. Toxic carbon emissions are polluting our planet. The transport sector accounted for 37% of CO2 emissions in 2021 [1].
The developed world is surging ahead. Subsequently, the developing world has not benefitted from the same modernisation. Developing regions are suffering in the wake of unsustainable transportation. These regions are responsible for 63% of the planet’s total carbon emissions [2].
The rebound in emissions has solidified how essential it is that we move (very quickly). A sustainable transportation solution will keep the planet mobilised, without compromising its stability.
Why Blockchain is Good for Sustainability
The problems that we face today, are astronomical. Our planet’s surging temperature is everyone’s biggest concern. Another key point is that we have witnessed the melting of the polar ice caps, and the extinction of wildlife. These have long held the key to the balance of our ecology.
It is not just the natural world that deserves our attention. 1.4 billion people are unbanked [3], an astounding figure in the face of modern technology. The eTukTuk network is built on the sustainable Cardano blockchain. This means that we have the unparalleled capability to give drivers and adopters a financial identity. This will ensure the financial freedoms that they deserve, without the need for a bank account.
Sustainability Begins Today
It is no longer the problem of tomorrow’s generation. We cannot dream about how future generations will cope along the road to sustainability. Although, we can, in our lifetime, inspire great change. eTukTuk’s network will traverse the road to sustainability. The network will negate the inefficiencies of the developing world to ensure equality across the globe. The challenges to the global community are insurmountable, with the world’s first automotive project built on Cardano.
The Next Steps
By giving ourselves over to modernity, we can surpass our own expectations. We can direct ourselves towards sustainability for today, tomorrow, and beyond. Furthermore, we can significantly reduce carbon emissions by 11 billion tonnes [4] as long as we take the road to sustainability.
Can we rewrite the past as we have done before? At eTukTuk, we believe we can, or we would not be here. The system is broken. With the innovation of Cardano and Web3, modern innovation will undoubtedly mean sustainability for all. We finally have the network to scale our sustainable infrastructure. eTukTuk will harness the power of the sharing economy. This will ensure developing countries have fair and equal access to affordable transportation and equitable financial services.
All of this we will do, for the benefit of cleaner air and equality for us all.
References
[1] IEA. (2021). Improving the Sustainability of Passenger and Freight Transport. Url: https://www.iea.org/topics/transport. Accessed: 5th October 2022.
[2] CGDEV. (2022). Developing Countries Are Responsible for 63 Percent of Current Carbon Emissions. URL: https://www.cgdev.org/media/developing-countries-are-responsible-63-percent-current-carbon-emissions. Accessed: 9th October 2022.
[3] World Bank Group. (2021). The Global Findex Database. URL: https://www.worldbank.org/en/publication/globalfindex/Report. Accessed: 30th September 2022.
[4] UNEP. (2022). Electric Two and Three Wheelers. URL: https://www.unep.org/explore-topics/transport/what-we-do/electric-mobility/electric-two-and-three-wheelers. Accessed: 8th October 2022.
