Transforming the Global Mobility System
John Moavenzadeh is the Executive Director of the MIT Mobility Initiative, a global platform to accelerate a safe, clean, and inclusive mobility system through research, education, entrepreneurship, and engagement
John Moavenzadeh became Executive Director of the MIT Mobility Initiative (MMI) in 2021. He recalls that as the year $93 billion of global venture capital poured into mobility technology. “Most of it went into electric vehicle and battery tech, eVTOLs (electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles), and autonomous mobility,” he says. Within two years, investors had tightened the faucet and that figure plummeted to $26 billion. Moavenzadeh shakes his head with what could be misconstrued as incredulity before offering an explanation.
“Mobility is inherently complex; to affect significant change, we need more than just a specific component of that system to be fixed,” he says. “Just because you think that you’ve built a better mouse trap…” He grins, letting the oft-referenced fallacy about innovation hang in the air for a moment. “But we are not playing a mousetrap game. We are playing a systems game; it requires interaction, collaboration, and support from other stakeholders who are part of that system.”
What matters is that people have access to healthcare, education, and viable employment—the things that they need in life. Mobility is a fundamental enabler of that.
Research at the MMI employs a consortium model, systems-level approach, Moavenzadeh explains. It convenes stakeholders from across the mobility ecosystem—including leaders in business and government—to address challenges in transportation while considering stakeholder incentives to advance the system.
For example, the MMI is partnering on two projects with Michigan Central, the Ford Motor Company-funded mobility innovation district in Detroit. One of the projects examines electric vehicle charging infrastructure. “The core question is where to put electric vehicle chargers in an urban environment where many people do not have the luxury of a home charger, a garage, or a dedicated parking spot,” says Moavenzadeh.
The MMI also acknowledges that the mobility system does not exist in a vacuum, as evidenced by its recent collaboration with Gensler. Gensler is an MMI member company; it is the largest architecture and design firm in the world, but it is not typically thought of as a player in the transportation industry. However, through its research institute, Gensler has devoted significant time and energy to exploring the carbon footprint of built structures, specifically as it relates to the total carbon impact of in-person and remote work. To help paint a full picture, Moavenzadeh and MMI researchers were able to step in and fill in the gaps related to commuting patterns in cities around the world. “Our work with Gensler is a great example of the type of work that the Mobility Initiative does because we are looking at two adjacent systems, in this case, the transportation system and the built environment, and understanding the trade-offs.”
Meanwhile, MMI’s work at the intersection of mobility and entrepreneurship includes endeavors like the Mobility Ventures course, a graduate level class that builds on MIT’s strong record of turning innovative research into real-world startups. Through the course, student entrepreneurs are given the opportunity to interact with guest lecturers—from founders and CEOs of transportation-related companies to other business and government executives—who are reshaping the future of mobility. Similarly, Moavenzadeh and MMI are also launching the Mobility Innovators Community. It connects mobility startups, venture capital funds, and other members of the financial community to discuss the challenges in financing the next generation of safe, clean, and inclusive mobility.
“At its core,” says Moavenzadeh, “the MIT Mobility Initiative is about people and it's about relationships among people. It is essential that we foster those relationships to develop new ideas, to think of new modes of working together, and to explore new business models.” In addition to hosting a variety of workshops and symposia, the MMI also convenes member companies for meetings and conducts brainstorming sessions with faculty and member companies. Moavenzadeh highlights the success of the MMI’s Mobility Forum, a weekly Zoom series that is free and open to the public. Hosted by the MMI’s founder, Professor Jinhua Zhao, the forum showcases transportation research and innovation across the globe. Topics run the gamut, from autonomous mobility to how city streets should be designed in the future.
To further foster engagement and build community, the MMI hosts Vision Day, its annual, invite-only, flagship event showcasing cutting-edge research and innovation in the realm of transportation. Attendees include leaders in industry, members of government, and esteemed researchers and MIT faculty—all brought together to set a research agenda that encourages cross-sector collaboration. In 2024, the MMI Vision Day will take place in Kendall Square on Friday, October 25th, at the US Department of Transportation's Volpi National Transportation Systems Center.
As the Executive Director of the MMI, Moavenzadeh’s vision for a safe, clean, and inclusive mobility future does involve leveraging what technology has to offer, but he acknowledges that people must come first. “We have to put people at the center of our system design,” he says. Transportation, to a certain extent, is beside the point. “What matters is that people have access to healthcare, education, and viable employment—the things that they need in life. Mobility is a fundamental enabler of that. That is why mobility is essential; we need to get this right.”