Need to Know
08 : 08 : 23

The Netherlands – In our digital epoch, reliance on cloud systems to store data is ever-growing. Modem’s Heirloom Hardware presents a tangible real-life alternative to preserve and pass down memories locked in a timepiece.

Cloud platforms brought us cost-effective and convenient data storage, to the point that many users turn into ‘data hoarders’ archiving pictures, emails and screenshots beyond measure. Modem lifted the idea that behind this convenience lies a paradox – while our lives are more documented than our ancestors', whether the data will outlive us is not certain.

As a response, Modem teamed up with industrial designers HB-AS to develop Heirloom Hardware. This range of real-life storage devices secures each user’s personal memories in the form of photos, videos and documents they can pass on to future generations. Heirloom Hardware offers a tangible alternative to transient cloud services, coding in the data in objects such as a pendant or canister.

In our macrotrend, The Paralysis Paradox, we highlighted how businesses will begin safeguarding futures, ensuring that legacies can be rediscovered, re-learned and re-explored. We expect initiatives to preserve legacy, such as Modem’s Heirloom Hardware, to multiply in the upcoming years.

US – As the electric vehicle (EV) market expands, concerns about charging infrastructure are coming to the fore. A survey from Morning Consult released in August 2023 suggests that 62% of EV owners are worried about accessing charging stations, a factor that could affect the industry's growth. Another challenge for car manufacturers is addressing consumers’ expectations for extended mileage. A quarter of potential EV buyers seek a range exceeding 500 miles – a rarity in the current market.

Many auto-makers have adopted Tesla's Supercharger technology, and it garners broad support among EV owners, yet concerns arise about potential overcrowding and waiting times as more vehicles use the same charging stations.

To challenge the firm's dominance in the charging network, non-Tesla auto-makers are working together to install 30,000 charging stations across the US. Interestingly, a significant portion of EV owners already have charging access at home, but this figure drops considerably for future EV buyers.

In our Mobility series, in which we explore what travel will look like in a regenerative future, we have covered a variety of innovators, brands and shifts in consumer behaviour, including how Gen Z want anything but their parents' car.