The future of vertical transportation is taking shape through elevators that use operational data, recover energy and coordinate journeys more effectively. For building owners, the useful question is how these innovations improve everyday service: whether residents can rely on the lift, whether maintenance teams receive actionable information, and whether the installation remains economical to operate over its lifetime.
Modern elevator technology brings together mechanical engineering, electronic controls and software. Improvements in one area influence the others. A compact traction machine changes the space needed inside the building; a different door arrangement affects passenger boarding; connected controls create opportunities for monitoring while introducing new requirements for data management.
For developers, contractors and elevator companies, understanding these connections helps turn a list of features into a workable specification. This article examines the technologies shaping vertical transportation, their practical limits, and the questions worth asking before selecting an elevator system.
Table of contents
- What defines an elevator that is ready for the future
- Predictive maintenance and the role of artificial intelligence
- Destination control and better passenger flow
- Regenerative drives and energy recovery
- Measuring energy consumption across the whole day
- Compact traction systems and the use of building space
- Connected elevators and service robots
- Cybersecurity and long term digital support
- Digital models and simulation before installation
- Lightweight suspension and ropeless elevator concepts
- Accessibility and a clear passenger experience
- Modernization and the lifetime of existing equipment
- Turning elevator innovation into a project with Nazar Elevator
- Frequently asked questions about future elevator technology
What defines an elevator that is ready for the future
A useful definition is an elevator whose performance, maintainability and capacity to integrate with the building remain appropriate as operating needs change. Connectivity can contribute, but so can accessible controls, documented interfaces and a dependable supply of replacement components.
Different buildings need different combinations. An apartment building with a single lift may place the greatest value on reliable doors and fast service support. An office tower may need detailed traffic analysis and coordinated dispatch. A hospital must consider beds, accompanying staff and operational priorities that do not resemble ordinary office traffic.
The first design task is therefore to identify the building's actual transport requirements. Passenger numbers, travel height, floor distribution, expected loading and the consequences of downtime provide a stronger starting point than a general request for the newest technology. A solution should also be understandable to the people who will maintain it after handover.
Predictive maintenance and the role of artificial intelligence
Predictive maintenance uses equipment data to help identify developing problems and plan an intervention before service is disrupted. Commercial examples already exist: KONE describes connected maintenance that combines operational data, analytics and technician action. (KONE predictive maintenance)
The engineering value lies in recognizing changes over time. Suppose a door gradually takes longer to complete its movement and the controller records more repeated closing attempts. Together, those observations can justify an inspection. They do not, by themselves, establish whether the cause is mechanical resistance, adjustment, contamination or a problem elsewhere in the system.
This distinction matters when evaluating artificial intelligence in elevators. Pattern recognition can prioritize investigation, while a qualified technician confirms the condition and carries out the necessary work. A dashboard becomes useful when the maintenance organization knows who receives an alert, how quickly it is assessed and how the outcome is recorded.
Owners should ask which signals are actually available on the proposed equipment and whether historical records can be exported. They should also distinguish continuous monitoring from a service that can anticipate a specific fault. Scheduled inspections, required checks and physical maintenance remain part of the overall service strategy.
Destination control and better passenger flow
Destination control asks passengers to register their destination before boarding and assigns an elevator accordingly. Grouping compatible journeys can reduce unnecessary intermediate stops. Schindler's PORT system is one documented commercial example of destination dispatch. (Schindler PORT Lift)
The benefit depends on traffic conditions. Morning arrivals in an office building differ from lunchtime movement between floors. Hotel traffic includes luggage, visitor groups and peaks around checkout. An effective design should therefore examine several operating scenarios, including a period when one elevator is unavailable for maintenance.
Increasing rated speed alone may deliver a smaller improvement than expected on short journeys. Acceleration, deceleration, door movements and boarding all contribute to total travel time. A passenger experiences the entire journey from registering a call to leaving the car, so evaluation should include that complete interval.
Ask the traffic specialist to explain the assumed building population, demand patterns, car loading and door times. Average waiting time is useful, but it can conceal occasional long waits. Reviewing the distribution of waiting times and total journey times gives a clearer picture of how a system will feel in daily use.
Regenerative drives and energy recovery
A regenerative drive can return electrical energy to the building supply when the traction system operates in a generating condition, for example with a heavily loaded car descending or a lightly loaded car ascending. The outcome depends on the balance between the car and counterweight. (Otis ReGen drive documentation)
Energy recovery is one part of the installation's energy balance. To evaluate a proposal, ask the supplier to describe the equipment configuration, the expected traffic and the baseline used for comparison. A percentage stated without those assumptions cannot establish the savings your building will achieve.
The electrical design also deserves attention. The building team should coordinate the drive with the supply arrangement, protective devices and any backup generation. Compatibility needs to be assessed for the complete installation, particularly where operating conditions change during a power interruption.
Regeneration is most useful as a measurable engineering option. Specify how energy performance will be estimated before purchase and how it can be checked after commissioning. This makes it possible to compare the forecast with actual use and investigate differences instead of relying on a brochure claim throughout the equipment's life.
Measuring energy consumption across the whole day
An elevator consumes energy during travel and while waiting for passengers. Controls, displays, lighting and other auxiliary equipment contribute to the total. The relative importance of each load depends on how intensively the installation operates.
For a lightly used residential elevator, examining standby behavior can be as relevant as examining the drive. For a busy commercial installation, travel-related consumption may deserve greater emphasis. The practical approach is to assess both, using the same operating assumptions when comparing alternatives.
ISO 25745-2 provides a method for estimating annual elevator energy consumption and classifying energy performance. (ISO 25745-2)
A procurement specification should identify the calculation method, daily trips, travel assumptions and the equipment included in the measurement boundary. It should also explain when energy-saving settings activate and how normal service resumes. Energy in kilowatt-hours and electrical power in kilowatts describe different quantities; both may matter to the building, but they should be assessed separately.
Compact traction systems and the use of building space
Machine-room-less elevators, commonly called MRL elevators, place the traction machine within the shaft arrangement instead of requiring a separate conventional machine room. The layout can help architects allocate building space, but it still requires properly designed access, clearances and a maintenance strategy.
Gearless traction and variable-voltage, variable-frequency control are established technologies that can form part of a modern elevator specification. The drive, machine, brake, suspension system and controller must be selected as a compatible combination. A description such as “gearless” does not, on its own, establish ride quality or annual energy performance.
Before approving the layout, review the clear shaft dimensions, pit depth, headroom, door positions and structural interfaces. The project team should also understand how components can be inspected and eventually replaced. Saving floor area is valuable when the installation remains serviceable throughout its life.
Existing buildings require particularly careful surveys. A nominal architectural dimension may differ from the clear space available after construction tolerances, finishes and obstructions are considered. Accurate measurements can prevent a promising compact design from becoming an installation problem.
Connected elevators and service robots
An application programming interface, or API, gives approved software a defined way to exchange requests and information with another system. In elevator applications, this can support building services such as automated calls or equipment status reporting.
KONE's Service Robot API provides a documented example of robots communicating with elevators to travel between floors. (KONE Service Robot API)
The installation still needs a coordinated operating plan. A delivery robot must approach the correct landing, identify the assigned car, enter within the permitted door sequence and leave at its destination. The project should also establish what happens when the car is full or the requested elevator becomes unavailable.
For a hotel, the useful starting point is a clearly defined delivery workflow. For a hospital, separation of service tasks and passenger priorities may be more significant. In either case, the elevator supplier, robot provider and building operator need to agree on interfaces and responsibilities. Connectivity should be tested through complete journeys, including interruptions and recovery, before routine operation begins.
Cybersecurity and long term digital support
Connected elevator services belong within the building's operational technology strategy. NIST's guidance on operational technology security addresses systems where digital functions interact with physical processes, including building automation. (NIST SP 800-82 Revision 3)
Applied to an elevator procurement process, this means asking practical questions about who can connect, which functions they can access and how access is withdrawn when responsibilities change. Remote monitoring and remote control should be described separately because they provide different capabilities.
The owner should receive a clear account of software support, update responsibility and service continuity. If a subscription ends, which functions remain available? Can maintenance history be transferred? Who restores connectivity when the building changes its network provider?
These questions belong in the specification and service agreement. They help owners understand the continuing obligations associated with digital features and help the maintenance team avoid uncertainty after handover. The approved local control and safety functions must remain central to the system design, with the behavior during a communication failure explicitly documented.
Digital models and simulation before installation
Digital planning can make elevator coordination more precise before equipment reaches the site. A building information model can represent the elevator's geometry and interfaces so that the design team can check the shaft, entrances and adjoining building elements together.
A digital twin goes further when a model is linked to information about a specific physical installation. Its usefulness depends on the question being investigated, the quality of the data and the way the model is maintained. A three-dimensional cabin image alone does not provide that operational relationship.
For a practical project, simulation can be used to compare scenarios: a change in building occupancy, a different door arrangement or an altered pattern of passenger arrivals. Results should be treated as estimates based on stated assumptions. If the building population or operating schedule changes, the assumptions need to change as well.
The most valuable output is a design decision that can be explained. A model should help the team resolve an identified space, traffic or maintenance issue and preserve the agreed information for installation and later operation.
Lightweight suspension and ropeless elevator concepts
Innovations in suspension materials address the moving mass associated with tall buildings. KONE's UltraRope is an example using a carbon-fiber core in place of a conventional all-steel rope construction. (KONE UltraRope technology)
For a buyer, a new suspension material needs to be assessed as part of the complete elevator system. Compatibility with the machine, monitoring arrangements, inspection procedures and replacement requirements all matter. An advanced component is useful when the project can support it throughout its operating life.
Ropeless designs explore a different approach. TK Elevator's documented MULTI concept uses linear motors and includes vertical and horizontal movement. (TK Elevator MULTI)
Such concepts raise architectural possibilities, but project planning must establish the exact available solution, its acceptance route and the arrangements for rescue and maintenance. A demonstration of a technology does not establish suitability for every building. For many ordinary projects, improvements to conventional traction equipment and service organization will remain more directly relevant than a completely new transport architecture.
Accessibility and a clear passenger experience
An elevator becomes more useful when a wide range of passengers can operate it independently. EN 81-70 addresses accessibility to lifts, including use by people with disabilities. The applicable edition and local requirements should be confirmed for the project. (BSI EN 81-70)
Design discussions should consider the whole route: approaching the landing, finding the controls, understanding the assigned elevator, entering the car and recognizing the destination. Reachable controls, legible information, suitable audible indications and appropriate door timing all deserve attention within the approved design.
Touchless calls and smartphone access can offer additional convenience, but the passenger experience must also accommodate visitors and people who cannot use a particular device. The same principle applies to destination terminals: passengers need clear guidance on where to go after registering a journey.
Accessibility should be reviewed early with the intended users and building team. Adding an interface after the shaft and entrance geometry have been fixed may leave more substantial barriers unresolved. Usability is an engineering objective that extends beyond the appearance of the operating panel.
Modernization and the lifetime of existing equipment
The future of vertical transportation also includes elevators already in service. Modernization can target controls, drives, doors or passenger interfaces, while a more extensive project may require replacement of the complete installation.
The decision should start with a documented condition assessment. Existing guide rails, supports and other retained components must be evaluated for the proposed configuration. Changes in car mass, loading or equipment arrangement can affect the engineering review, even when the cabin appears similar to the original.
Owners should compare complete project scopes. The assessment needs to include installation disruption, future maintenance, replacement component availability and the expected period of service. Where several elevators operate together, the modernization sequence should be coordinated with the building's minimum transport needs.
Environmental evaluation should also distinguish operating energy from the impacts of producing and replacing equipment. Retaining suitable components may avoid unnecessary material use, while replacement can address limitations that a partial upgrade cannot resolve. The right scope follows from the condition of the equipment and the needs of the building.
Turning elevator innovation into a project with Nazar Elevator
Nazar Elevator is a Turkish elevator manufacturer and exporter established in 2002, with production facilities in Konya and İzmir. About Nazar Elevator
Its published passenger elevator offering includes arrangements with a machine room (MR) and without a separate machine room (MRL), selected according to project requirements. Nazar Elevator passenger elevators
For an international buyer, the next step is to turn the desired operating outcome into a technical brief. Share the building use, number of stops, rated load, target speed and clear shaft measurements. Include pit depth, headroom, door openings, electrical supply and the project location. Describe accessibility needs and any proposed connection to building systems.
Ask the supplier to identify the exact controller and drive arrangement, the documentation supplied and the responsibilities for local installation and commissioning. Optional digital functions should be confirmed for the selected equipment and service arrangement. The proposal should clearly identify included equipment, options and continuing service costs.
A useful proposal should explain how the equipment meets the building's needs, how it will be maintained and how performance will be checked. To discuss a complete elevator system or components for your project, contact Nazar Elevator with the architectural drawings and technical requirements.
Frequently asked questions about future elevator technology
What is a smart elevator
A smart elevator uses digital control, connectivity or data analysis to improve a defined function, such as dispatch or maintenance. The specification should state the actual capability, required hardware and service conditions so that the term has a measurable meaning for the buyer.
Can artificial intelligence prevent every breakdown
No. Analytics can help identify developing problems when suitable signals are available. Unexpected faults and physical wear still require a maintenance organization capable of inspection and repair. The useful measure is the quality of the resulting intervention and equipment availability.
Does an MRL elevator automatically use less electricity
MRL describes the machinery layout. Annual consumption also depends on the drive, load balance, travel pattern, controls and standby equipment. Compare complete installations under the same assumptions instead of treating the layout label as an energy rating.
Which innovation should a small building prioritize
Start with dependable service, suitable capacity, accessible operation and maintenance support. Examine the actual pattern of use before selecting optional features. The best investment is a feature that resolves a documented need and can be supported locally throughout the elevator's life.
Can an existing elevator gain connected features
Some installations can be upgraded, but feasibility depends on the controller, available interfaces and equipment condition. A technical survey should establish what can be integrated, what needs replacement and whether the proposed service will remain available under the maintenance agreement.
How should buyers evaluate claims about the elevator of the future
Request the exact product configuration, project references where relevant, and clear acceptance criteria. Separate measured results from estimates and confirm the assumptions behind both. An effective specification turns a technology claim into an outcome that the building team can verify.