Future Mobility: Quantum Technologies on the Campaign Trail

Future mobility will be electric, autonomous, and increasingly interconnected. As a result, many new enabling technologies are now clambering to enter the automotive value chain. In recent years, there has been a surge of support for quantum technologies to enter the race.

Today, many start-ups and established players are developing solutions using quantum computing, quantum sensing, and quantum communications specifically for future mobility markets.

IDTechEx’s report, “Quantum Technology Market 2024-2034: Trends, Players, Forecasts,” forecasts the market to surpass US$2B by 2034, with a CAGR of over 25%, primarily driven by opportunities in the automotive sector. In this article, IDTechEx highlights major innovations campaigning for future mobility market success.

Quantum Computers for Better Batteries

Quantum computers are now being investigated worldwide for their potential to solve highly complex quantum chemistry problems. Future machines are anticipated to offer a significant advantage in the speed at which the nano-scale physics of materials can be simulated and new products can be designed (for more details, please see IDTechEx’s quantum market research reports). This creates a significant opportunity for the more sophisticated discovery of better battery materials.

To date, designing new batteries is akin to drug discovery in that it’s an incredibly lengthy and expensive process. Classical computing is limited in the degree of accuracy in material simulation that can be feasibly achieved, and experimental trials are infamously inefficient. Quantum computing could champion sustainability not only by optimizing resource use for battery development but also in designing inherently cleaner batteries.

Vehicle electrification has seen demand for smaller, longer-lasting, faster-charging batteries soar. The timelines on which quantum computers scale up to offer a commercial advantage will likely coincide with existing battery designs reaching performance limits. It would be no surprise to find that in a decade, the automotive industry will pivot away from depending on traditional approaches and instead put its faith in a new candidate: quantum computing.

Economic Issues

Many campaigns are centred around economic issues, and efforts to commercialize quantum sensor technologies are no different. The future mobility market offers a potentially high-volume supply chain opportunity for quantum technology despite the category often being associated with bulky lab-scale equipment. This is particularly true for quantum sensors because they could be critical enablers for the next generation of vehicle electrification and autonomy.

The so-called ‘Quantum 1.0’ has already been a significant disruptor in automotive supply chains. Less exotic quantum phenomena, such as the photoelectric effect or tunnelling, are essential within many of the cameras of remote, current sensors deployed in the latest vehicles on the road today. This includes tunnelling magnetoresistance sensors (TMRs), which have recently taken chunks out of the Hall effect sensor market through their low power and galvanic isolation properties.

However, in the future, ‘Quantum 2.0’ seeks to add superposition and entanglement to the automotive market manifesto. For example, several quantum sensors are being developed to offer more precise navigation and positioning solutions.

As the safety and robustness of autonomous systems come under increased regulations in the years ahead, highly accurate sensors will only increase in value. Today’s primary challenge is miniaturizing quantum sensor technologies to be market-ready in size, weight, power, and cost. As such, becoming a leader in manufacturing critical quantum components for quantum sensors has been picked out by multiple governments as a vessel for economic growth.

National Security Issues

National security, particularly cybersecurity vulnerabilities, is regularly in the spotlight. The world is increasingly dependent on the safe transfer of data. The risks of a cybersecurity breach in the future mobility markets are stark. Control taken of autonomous vehicles by bad actors is the stuff of thriller movies.

Moreover, cars are increasingly connected, and the Internet of Things is shifting towards ‘vehicle to everything’ (V2X). This is anticipated to include more sensitive information about people’s health as driver monitoring regulations solidify.

Quantum is pitched to play a vital role in shaping the future of cybersecurity, including within the future mobility market. On the one hand, future quantum computers could act as tools to break encrypted data streams. Their computing advantage could be misused to overcome established methods such as RSA. On the other hand, quantum offers a solution for the next generation of cryptography.

First, through software-based post-quantum cryptography (PQC) and later, with optical-based quantum key distribution (QKD). Quantum random number generators are already being designed to integrate within hardware security modules for automotive.

Automotive OEMs are already strategizing how future vehicle designs must remain robust to data security threats, arguably focusing today on AI’s impact. Overall, however, the fast-shifting landscape of cybersecurity threats makes it essential for the industry to grapple with the challenges and opportunities offered by quantum communications before it’s too late.

Market Outlook

Overall, the message from the quantum technology market camp is not to remain undecided – but to engage today with exploring the opportunities on offer. There is continual, targeted development to meet the needs of the future mobility demographic found across the quantum computing, sensing, and communications verticals. Ultimately, the power is essentially now with automotive OEMs, who will eventually vote with their feet on incorporating quantum technology into their value chains.