Voices of the Next Generation: Young Advocates Reimagining Mobility

The future of mobility doesn’t just lie in new technologies—it’s being molded by a new generation of students, activists, and entrepreneurs who see electric vehicles as more than machines, but as opportunities to build cleaner, fairer, and more connected communities.

Surveys show that enthusiasm for electric vehicles is growing among young consumers, even as they confront barriers ranging from cost to accessibility. Student-led initiatives and youth activism are energizing the sector with fresh ideas, passionate advocacy, and real-world projects that translate ambition into action.

• Student Energy: Across the globe, Student Energy empowers the next generation of clean mobility leaders, supporting university students to launch local EV education campaigns, develop pilot micro-mobility solutions, and participate in major policy dialogues. Their annual summits and hackathons introduce new perspectives to industry and policymakers alike.
• European Student Assembly: In 2025, over 240 students from 31 European countries convened in Strasbourg to debate issues of transport, sustainability, and inclusion, presenting policy recommendations aimed at making e-mobility more accessible and supportive of democratic values. Student participants, like Ana María Montero Martínez and Dermott Harkin, exemplified how academic dialogue fuels actionable policy and research on sustainable mobility.
• Young Entrepreneurs & Startups: Recognized by lists such as Forbes’ “30 Under 30 in Transportation & Mobility,” young founders are redefining how EV infrastructure is built and distributed, especially in underserved areas. These diverse voices are developing everything from subscription models for city cars to radical new battery technologies, and are frequently driven by a mission to widen access and reduce the environmental impact of transportation.
• Activists and Advocates like Jakobina: Youth advocates bring lived experience and vision to mobility justice, championing clean energy and transport equity through community campaigns, social media, and collaborations with NGOs.

Recent data shows that involvement in EV activism and entrepreneurship among 18–34-year-olds is at a historic high, with more than 45% of EV startup founders today identifying as minorities or women, and many focused on delivering solutions for communities historically left out of transport innovation. Empathy, social impact, and the drive for sustainability unite these voices, who are quick to cite the overlaps between climate action, health, and mobility rights.

As these students and young leaders reimagine what mobility means in 2026 and beyond, their passion, inclusiveness, and innovation will have ever-growing influence—not only on industry practices, but on how societies define progress, access, and justice in a dynamic, electrified world.