The Future: Fast Forward group held the signing ceremony of the collaboration agreement with CaixaBank, the Eurecat technology centre and Telefónica in Madrid. This event, which in addition to the signing also included a round table discussion, was attended by Gonzalo Alcubilla, Corporate Banking Director at CaixaBank; Daniel Altimiras, President of Eurecat; Sergio Oslé, CEO of Telefónica España; and Marc Riera, President of Future: Fast Forward.
Future: Fast Forward is a large-scale project whose main objective is the electrification of our country and making Spain an international benchmark in the automotive industry, turning it into the European hub for electric and sustainable mobility. Future: Fast Forward is leading a historic change in the automotive sector, championing new electric mobility that crosses our borders.
To transform this mobility and the entire value chain, the Agrupación F3 cluster involves 52 leading companies in all areas relating to electric and sustainable mobility. A project of this magnitude also aims to involve companies beyond the sector, which play a key role in the economy and society. In this sense, the collaboration agreement offers exclusive advantages for the groups that contribute to achieving the common goal of the Agrupación F3.
The motivation and role of CaixaBank, Eurecat and Telefónica as collaborators in Future: Fast Forward is essential in a cluster with so many companies in which collaboration is one of the most important points. “A country-wide project like Future: Fast Forward needs support from key companies like our collaborators. In addition to bringing intangible value to the cluster, they will support us and offer numerous benefits in our work to transform the mobility of the future”, said Marc Riera, President of Future:Fast Forward.
One of the key roles in the transformation of the mobility model is innovation. In this regard, a technological centre like Eurecat, one of the main providers of innovation in our country, contributes highly advanced technological skills and knowledge to the Agrupación F3 cluster. “The decarbonisation of mobility represents a paradigm shift for the automotive sector and opens up a new scenario where companies are working intensively with the aim of developing new products for the electrification of vehicles, as well as new more efficient production processes that allow us to move towards a more sustainable future, also taking into account circularity and the end of life of vehicles”, pointed out Daniel Altimiras, President of Eurecat. From this perspective, he added, “innovation represents a fundamental aspect for facing the challenges posed by new mobility, and Eurecat provides the Agrupación F3 cluster with the necessary technological support to be able to assist companies in this transformation process”.
Telefónica, a leading company in terms of innovation and sustainability in the telecommunications sector, also plays a major role in the mobility transformation challenge proposed by Future: Fast Forward. “We are very proud to be involved in a project that will mark a turning point in the evolution of the automotive sector in Spain, and where technological innovation will be a factor in its development. Thanks to ultra-connectivity, driven by 5G and associated advanced technologies such as Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Big Data, among others, we will be able to advance the digitalisation of the entire value chain for the electric vehicle industry, thus increasing our capacity to lead their manufacture for Europe”, said Sergio Oslé, CEO of Telefónica España.
The roundtable ended with a discussion of the key issue of sustainability and a debate on why it is a priority issue at all levels of society and within companies. Gonzalo Alcubilla, Director of Corporate Banking at CaixaBank, stated that “at the bank, we are firmly committed to the social impact of our activity and to promoting the sustainable transition of companies and society in general. In this sense, support for sustainable mobility plays a fundamental role and collaborating with the Future project: Fast Forward aligns with our goal of being a leading bank in the development and commercialisation of sustainable solutions”.
The Future: Fast Forward project will have a far-reaching positive social, environmental and economic impact in Spain. However, all the efforts of Future: Fast Forward must go hand in hand with the collaboration of the administrations. “We must secure the charging infrastructure that the country needs and enhance the incentives programme for obtaining these vehicles. This is why it is essential to count on the collaboration of the administrations in order to make the electric and sustainable future that Future: Fast Forward is working for every day a reality”, said Marc Riera.
Electrification, an opportunity today with an impact on the future
In a scenario marked by the limitation of resources, the companies in the F3 cluster have united around the pillars of mobility, sustainability, electrification and future. The common goal is to transform the electrification of Spanish mobility today so that future generations in the country can live in an environment with a lower carbon footprint.
The 86 projects already launched under the F3 umbrella will impact the entire ECV value chain, from manufacturing processes to digitalisation. At the same time, F3 will foster the generation of new, high quality and technologically advanced job opportunities, contributing to improving the country’s competitiveness and business modernisation. This business project will have an impact on more than 145,000 direct and indirect jobs in the automotive industry and will contribute 2.4 billion euros in taxes and Social Security contributions.
