That is the central conclusion of a new report, The Electric Mobility Sector for Poland's Security: A Starting Point for a Strategy, compiled by the Warsaw-based Sobieski Institute think tank, in cooperation with the European Federation for Transport and Environment and the Eastern Flank Institute, a Brussels-registered think tank focusing on security in Central and Eastern Europe.
The war in Ukraine and wider geopolitical shifts are changing the role of so-called dual-use technologies—innovations that can serve both civilian and military purposes.
Experts point to several areas where the needs of the automotive and defence sectors overlap, with autonomous vehicles being one example.
"Autonomous electric vehicles are equipped with sensors that collect huge amounts of data about their surroundings and feed it into a system that allows them to navigate safely and avoid collisions," said Piotr Woyke of the Eastern Flank Institute.
"Similar types of sensors will be needed in Polish military systems," he added.
"In this particular area, the defence sector has a great deal to learn from the civilian sector, which is currently developing these technologies much faster," he said.
(mo/gs)
Click on the audio player above to hear a report by Michał Owczarek