NEXT Future Transportation to Launch 'THINK NEXT' in Norway
The newly created enterprise will provide NEXT with a meaningful presence in Norway, the leading electric transportation nation in the world.
SAN JOSE, Calif., May 23, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- NEXT Future Transportation Inc., the game-changing Silicon Valley mobility company, today announced at the URBAN FUTURE Global Conference (UFGC) that it has established THINK NEXT in partnership with electric mobility pioneer Dr. Jan-Olaf Willums. Based in Oslo, Norway, the Norwegian holding will enable NEXT Future Transportation to carry out its business development plan and support its growth throughout the borderless Nordic region.
The Nordic countries have been at the cutting edge of electromobility for decades, and the Nordics are adopting electric mobility innovation quicker than any other part of the world. Ambitious emissions-reduction targets, growing government and industry support, and rapid technological advances make Norway a perfect location for THINK NEXT.
In Europe, transportation is responsible for a quarter of all greenhouse gas emissions. And while Europe's industrial emissions have fallen by 38 percent since 1990, those in the transportation sector have increased by 9 percent. The International Energy Agency (IEA) forecasts that greenhouse gas emissions from transportation will increase by 120 percent from 2000 to 2050. "We view Norway as a role model for how electric mobility can be realized to tackle the climate and urban congestion issues that all cities face around the world. Goals for the transportation sector can only be met with alternative forms of mobility, and we look forward to becoming a part of the solution," said Emmanuele Spera, CEO of NEXT.
Norwegian serial entrepreneur Dr. Jan-Olaf Willums founded Computas ES, Scandinavia's first Artificial Intelligence company, and later also the world's first electric carsharing company Move About. He pioneered through ZEM (Zero Emission Marine) battery solutions for the shipping sector.
As founding director of the World Business Council for Sustainable Development (WBCSD), he was an early champion for public-private partnerships to fight global warming. Willums is recognized for serving as CEO of Th!nk Global, the pioneering electric car company that launched Europe's first highway-approved EV aimed to upend a century-old automotive paradigm by changing the way cars are made, sold, owned and driven. He was chairman of Electro Mobility Norway and co-founder of the industry cluster SAMS (Sustainable Autonomous Mobility Systems).
"I am honored to have the opportunity to partner with one of the true pioneers of electric mobility. Jan-Olaf was way ahead of his time when he, in 2007, promoted a vision of the electric car as an internet-enabled transportation solution that interacts with the public and the power grid through a mobile phone," said Tommaso Gecchelin, CTO, Co-Founder and inventor of NEXT. An Italian quantum physicist, he adopted swarming concepts known from biology and physics to solve the immense complexity of distributed transportation networks. An artificial intelligence engine directs the interactions of modular "pods" through a set of algorithms that together optimize transport across a complex network.
There are about 6,000 foreign-owned, limited companies in Norway with many additional branch offices. Foreign companies represent about 25% of all value-creation in the Norwegian industry and about 20% of the employment. "Norway has always been open to supporting foreign startups, however, the ease of doing business in Norway completely exceeded our expectations. The nation is particularly seeking new industry development based on its abundance of cheap, renewable energy," said Sven Hackmann, Executive Vice President of NEXT.
THINK NEXT intends to manufacture its first fleets of commercial modular Pods in Scandinavia and work with the autonomous technology pioneers in the region.
ABOUT:
NEXT Future Transportation, Inc. is a mass transportation and goods movement startup that is developing a patented modular, autonomous, electric vehicle fleet and the supporting operating system required to bring the systems and services to market at scale.
The company is headquartered in San Jose, California.
CONTACT:
Sven Hackmann
Executive Vice President
NEXT Future Transportation, Inc.
San Jose, California
+1 (310) 699 4589
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SOURCE NEXT Future Transportation, Inc.
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