ABSTRACT
This introduction presents an overview of the key concepts discussed in the subsequent chapters of this book. The book refers to the broad range of work being undertaken within the general theme of sustainable mobility. It explores why the battery electric vehicle has once again failed to make its long-awaited breakthrough. The book also presents the concept in more detail and highlights some of its social and economic advantages, particularly within the context of a relocalisation of economic activity, thus linking in with a debate rarely addressed in the context of the automotive manufacturing sector. It considers a number of recently introduced vehicles and alternative vehicle concepts and how these might be introduced within the context of a dominant existing paradigm. The book describes a concept that addresses one of the key concerns of electric vehicles—battery range—but broadens this into a more universally applicable vehicle concept which could be of particular interest for certain transport niches.
