The next ERC event will open with Carlo van de Weijer (Eindhoven University) and László Varró (Shell) who will present their visions for the future of mobility. Carlo is General Manager, Eindhoven AI Systems Institute, Eindhoven University of Technology and László is VP Strategy Insights & Scenarios, Shell.

“Mobility and transport have experienced exponential growth in recent decades, a trend expected to continue in the coming years,” says Carlo. “Without intervention, this rapid expansion risks steering us further away from a sustainable future. The main question: What should we focus on in the pathway to sustainable mobility and transport?”

Carlo’s opening address is titled Beam us up, Scotty? Expectations and extrapolations for the future of mobility. As General Manager of the Eindhoven AI Systems Institute at Eindhoven University of Technology (TU/e), Carlo focuses on bringing the potential benefits of AI to the foreground. Carlo started his career in the automotive industry and has held executive positions at Siemens and TomTom. He currently advises ministries and industries around the world on the future of mobility and is member of the supervisory board of several high-tech companies and start-ups. Furthermore, he is a weekly columnist in the leading Dutch financial newspaper.

László Varró will build on Carlo’s opening during his contribution on The drive to decarbonise – transport in a net-zero world. “Transportation is a good thing,” says László. “It is inconceivable that we would do without it. The objective is not to limit transport, the objective is to decouple current levels of transportation, or even transportation growth, with emissions.”

László has extensive experience in energy economics, policy and strategy. He studied economics at Corvinus University of Budapest, Hungary, and the University of Cambridge, UK. He has worked as a regulator in Hungary’s electricity and gas markets and as Strategy Director for MOL Group, an independent oil and gas company.

In 2011 he joined the International Energy Agency (IEA) as Head of Gas and Electricity Markets and led the IEA’s work on liquefied natural gas, gas supply security and electricity market design and regulation. He was appointed Chief Economist of the IEA in 2016, where he built a new team for energy investment analysis and was responsible for methodological support for all IEA policy work.

László joined Shell in 2021 where he leads the company’s analyses of macroeconomics, energy scenarios, climate policy and geopolitics.