ERTICO and its Partnership continued to deliver stellar work through their projects and platforms in 2023, to help push the boundaries of innovation in mobility and transport. Grouped broadly under focus areas relating to CCAM, Clean & Eco Mobility, Transport & Logistics, Urban Mobility and Cross-Sector, these activities dealt with a wide range of ITS-related topics, that have been under the spotlight of EU policies and regulation. ERTICO was engaged in more than 25 Projects and eight Platforms as well as working on the ERTICO Academy and City Moonshot initiatives.
This past year has seen some significant EU legislation and policy rollouts that are intended to put European mobility and transport on the path to being safer and more interconnected, efficient and sustainable. A landmark instance of this was the adoption last October of the revised ITS Directive by the European Council. The same month, the European Commission announced that the completion of the ‘Fit for 55’ legislation has put the EU on track to exceed its 2030 green transition targets. Last month, the European Parliament adopted new rules for more sustainable and ethical batteries, while the European Commission adopted a proposal on combining transport modes for more sustainable freight. The Commission also adopted a series of proposals to safeguard passenger rights and to protect travellers while enhancing multimodal travel information services and the creation of a common European mobility data space. In July, the European Parliament and the European Council reached a deal on digital traffic data rules. Going beyond land and water, in February, the Commission’s rules on establishing the U-space, a dedicated airspace for drones, came into force. More recently, with the European Parliament and Council agreeing to the EC’s proposed Artificial Intelligence (AI) Act, the transport and mobility sector will also be paying close attention. ERTICO, with its Partnership, has been working in a direct way to help realise some of these policy goals.
Projects end but the legacy will continue
Three ERTICO-coordinated projects came to an end this year, and the results they achieved will ensure that their legacy lives on. The strategically significant CEF project FENIX ended its four-year run on 31 March having played a key role in accelerating the technological development of supply chains. The project’s 11 pilot sites worked to create the first European federated architecture of data sharing to serve the needs of the European logistics community of shippers, service providers, mobility infrastructure providers, cities, and authorities. There was a demonstrated increase in productivity and a reduction of document exchange in the pilot site operations. There was also an average reduction of about 22% of CO2 emission in logistics operations registered, directly linked to the project.
Encouraging the adoption of low-emission driving behaviour and proper maintenance choice to reduce air pollution from all road vehicles was the goal of MODALES. Through videos and an app, and by running an online awareness campaign in 11 languages, the project informed the public about simple yet effective actions they could take to modify their driving habits to reduce emissions. On 31 May, MODALES concluded 45 months of researching, developing, and testing innovative and complementary solutions encompassing the driver, on-board diagnostics (OBD), periodic inspections and retrofits. Since then, the project has released two factsheets of its findings – the first related to driver behaviour and the second on OBD, inspections and retrofits.
5G-LOGINNOV‘s 39-month mission to transform freight and traffic operations at ports and logistics hubs by harnessing the power of 5G, thanks to an innovative framework for integrating and validating connected and automated mobility (CAM) technologies related to industry 4.0, came to an end on 30 November, with rich results. The project’s three Living Labs, in the European ports of Hamburg, Athens and Luka Koper, exemplified innovation, covering both deep seaports in the megavessel era (Hamburg, Athens) and medium sized ports with limited investment funds for 5G (Koper). A new generation of 5G terminals for CAM, new types of Internet of Things (IoT) 5G devices, data analytics, next generation traffic management, and emerging 5G networks were grouped to allow the city ports to handle current and future capacity and traffic, increase efficiency, and manage environmental challenges.
Last year, the team working on 5G and Transport & Logistics projects, such as 5G-LOGINNOV and FENIX, got an ISO standard approved, which also supports the Green Deal. Based on this standard, 17748-1 “Energy-based green ITS services on nomadic & mobile devices for smart city mobility applications – Part 1: General information and use cases definition”, the ISO/Technical Committee 204 has decided to cover this important topic and set-up a new sub working group (SWG) as part of its working group (WG) 17 on Nomadic Devices in ITS Systems. This new SWG 17.2 “Save the World-Save the Planet” is developing a series of international standards which define energy-based green ITS services providing urban and smart city mobility applications on nomadic & mobile devices by measuring energy consumption and CO2 emissions, and providing information to users on energy capacity in the transportation sectors.
Other projects that ended this year, where ERTICO was involved, include STORM, whose mission was to support the transition of the transportation sector towards a sustainable freight future by identifying new data, developing novel methodologies, and creating use cases focusing on electrification and automation of freight and logistics transport. The project, which was led by ERTICO partner VTT, terminated in June, having held its final event during the 2023 IEEE Smart Cities Symposium a month earlier. At its close it made recommendations for smart freight and left a toolbox of exploitable results to move towards a sustainable and competitive freight future.
Finally, the 12-month long Coordination Support Action (CSA) PrepDSpace4Mobility, whose aim was to lay the foundation for the common European mobility data space (EMDS) by supporting the creation of a technical infrastructure that will facilitate easy, cross-border access to key data for both passengers and freight, ended in September. ERTICO played a significant role in the project by identifying the needs of the different stakeholder communities, and in surveying the requirements regarding data space building blocks and governance frameworks from across the ecosystem. ERTICO organised two workshops. In the second experts workshop, ERTICO-affiliated Innovation Platforms and Data Spaces took centre stage with a view to understanding the requirements of the stakeholder communities in different Mobility Data Spaces. The work of the CSA will continue in the deployEMDS project, described below.
Projects nearing the finish line
Six projects on which ERTICO is actively working with a number of it Partners are set to conclude next year. With much research, development and testing already underway, these projects have had important milestones in 2023.
5GMETA, led by ERTICO Partner Vicomtech, organised its second hackathon during the ITS European Congress in Lisbon, where it debuted its data Platform. Hackathon participants used the Platforms data flows to create smart mobility solutions to enhance road safety and traffic management. Last month the project also organised a joint webinar with recently-concluded ERTICO projects 5G-MOBIX and 5G-LOGINNOV. A position paper was finalised as a result, with recommendations on 5G deployment.
BOOSTLOG, a logistics CSA, which aims to boost impact generation from research and innovation on integrated freight transport and logistics, is mapping more than 160 projects funded by the European Union to identify successful implementation cases, including regulations, and will produce reports based on which stakeholders can act upon their priority needs. The project is coordinated by the Alliance for Logistics Innovation through Collaboration in Europe (ALICE), of which ERTICO is a member. Since 2021, the ALICE Logistics Innovation Award has been given out within the framework of BOOSTLOG. This year the project launched a taskforce on accelerating innovation uptake for sustainable transport.
eCharge4Drivers, led by ERTICO Partner ICCS, reached important milestones this year in its quest to make electric vehicle (EV) charging easier for users. The project continued to trial and demonstrate its solutions in its 10 demo sites and collect important feedback through its External Interest Group. ERTICO is now leading a task in the project on regulation and harmonisation aspects of EV charging infrastructure
NAPCORE, the world’s largest initiative to coordinate data platforms across the European National Access Points (NAPs) and National Bodies, signed a cooperation agreement with the Data for Road Safety platform (DFRS) Safety-Related Traffic Information (SRTI) ecosystem during the ITS European Congress in Lisbon, to enhance road safety data governance and knowledge through mutual learning. In November, the project hosted the 2nd NAPCORE Mobility Data Days with more than 200 participants from 28 countries to discuss data accessibility, exchange, assessment, and interoperability and engage with key stakeholders who are shaping the future of this domain.
As it prepares for its conclusion at the end of next year, SHOW has been busy with demonstrations at its various pilot sites. The massive CCAM urban demonstration initiative with a consortium of 70 partners from 13 countries, combines connected and automated mobility with electrification in the urban context. There are around 70 automated vehicles (robotaxis, busses and shuttles for people and goods) begin put to the test. Central to SHOW’s overall ambition is understanding stakeholder needs and engaging them in the at various stages of the project, which it does through hackathons, training courses, and surveys.
In January SOLUTIONSplus delivered the third e-course of its global e-learning programme on electric mobility, focussing on Mobility as a Service, its role in decarbonising the transport system and its link with ITS solutions. The course was led by ERTICO, SWARCO (ERTICO partner) and POLIS. With the support of the SOLUTIONSplus project partners, ERTICO also developed a course on Innovation Management based on the input and needs of the start-ups that are part of the project’s Start-up Incubator. ERTICO’s special interest session on SOLUTIONSplus at the ITS World Congress in Suzhou, included four ERTICO Partners: ICCS, SAE International, T-Systems, and Transport for West Midlands.
WeTransform is preparing an action-oriented policy agenda based on a structured dialogue with stakeholders to address challenges and mitigate negative impacts of automation on the workforce across all transport modes. This year, the consortium has organised a series of events with stakeholders and workers on formulating what should be the actual policies to be included in the agenda (the project end “product”). Each policy item, which is meant to remedy a possible negative impact of automation for the transport labour force, is defined specifying the parties and timeframe required, and the suggested means for its implementation. The shortlisted policy areas, such as training and reskilling, or the minimisation of labour exclusion and exploitation, were presented in a focus group event organised by ERTICO at our offices in Brussels.
On solid ground in a year
ERTICO had started working, with its Partners, on eight new projects and two CSAs in 2022. One year on, these activities have made significant progress.
The ERTICO-coordinated FAME project is working to establish a European framework and methodology for testing and evaluation of CCAM on public roads, and improving cooperation, consensus building and data sharing for CCAM testing and large-scale demonstration activities in Europe. Led by ERTICO, FAME co-organised EUCAD 2023 along with the European Commission and the European Partnership on CCAM. The popular conference brought together more than 400 participants, including the European Commission and Member States, as well as high-level European and international representatives from industry, academia, and road authorities to discuss the readiness of societies for intelligent, inclusive, and sustainable mobility solutions. Through a fruitful cooperation with the CCAM Partnership’s Member States Representatives Group (SRG), chaired by the Czech Ministry of Transport, an ERTICO and FAME Partner, the project carried out a comprehensive analysis of CCAM testing procedures and administrative frameworks in the 27 Member States and 3 associated countries, which will serve as a basis for recommendations to the EC as part of the framework . The collaboration also allowed to significantly increase the number of projects and test sites in the Knowledge Base which now included close to 400 projects out of which 50% are funded by Member States.
IN2CCAM, which is led by Politecnico di Bari, also an ERTICO Partner, focusses on integration and interoperability to accelerate the implementation of innovative CCAM technologies and systems for passengers and goods. This year, ERTICO partner TTS Italia launched the project’s stakeholder forum to advance the development of innovative CCAM solutions. ERTICO is leading the project’s liaison activities to engage with related initiatives.
NextETRUCK, coordinated by ERTICO Partner TNO, aims to provide a sustainable solution to bring about at least an increase of at least 10% energy efficiency in zero-emission electric medium freight haulage compared to existing highest-end benchmark EVs of the same size category and operating for similar mission profiles. ERTICO joined POLIS in carrying out a survey, which shows a slow yet steady uptake of electric commercial freight vehicles.
PLOTO aims to increase the resilience of the Inland Water Ways (IWW) infrastructures and the connected land infrastructures, ensuring reliable network availability under unfavourable conditions, such as extreme weather, accidents and other kinds of hazards. Earlier this year, PLOTO signed a partnership agreement with ETP-ALICE to promote the project’s objective.
PoDIUM will advance a set of key technologies both in the physical and digital part of the infrastructure to address the challenges in road automation and telecommunications linked with connectivity, cooperation, data management, interoperability and reliability in order to foster the development of advanced CCAM solutions. The project, which is coordinated by ERTICO Partner ICCS, submitted its use case descriptions and specifications. The consortium also finalised the specification of the PoDIUM high-level platform architecture.
The SINFONICA project’s focus is on accessibility and inclusivity of CCAM solutions. It will provide recommendations and guidelines for socially innovative, citizen-oriented, long-term planning and large-scale demonstrations of CCAM in cities. The project made good progress this year in understanding and defining the mobility needs of the different user groups, and creating a participatory approach along with strategies for user engagement and data collection.
SUNRISE is building upon HEADSTART and other initiatives, to develop a common extensible Safety Assurance Framework that accelerates the safe and large-scale deployment of CCAM technologies. The project delivered important reports and identified requirements in its first year. These include: a report on baseline analysis of existing methodologies; a report on relevant subsystems to validate CCAM systems; requirements for CCAM safety assessment data framework content; and CCAM use cases validation requirements. ERTICO plays a central role in stakeholder engagement, international cooperation, coordination and dissemination of the project, which was well represented in in a variety of international events such as the EUCAD2023, the ITS European Congress 2023, TRB ARTS 2023 and the Mobility Innovation Week 2023 in Tokyo.
V4Safety, which is also coordinated by ERTICO partner TNO, will provide a comprehensive procedure for conducting computer simulations to determine the long-term performance and impact of road safety solutions. The project held a workshop, webinars and stakeholder consultation in its first year.
Off to a running start
2023 also witnessed the start of a number of projects, which have already made a strong impression through their activities: eBRT2030, GUIDE, and PRIVATEER began in January; STREnGth_M in February; REALLOCATE and SUM in June; and deployEMDS in November.
eBRT2030 was launched within the 2Zero Partnership framework with the ambition to create a new generation of electric BRT (Bus Rapid Transit) systems to improve public transport and tackle climate change and air pollution in urban areas. The project will boost the rollout and development of eBRTs through demonstrations in six cities in Europe and one in South America in real and specific settings.
deployEMDS is a three-year co-funded project under the Digital Europe Programme, whose aim is to support the European Union’s digital sovereignty by reinforcing EU critical digital capacities. The project will pioneer data spaces in nine regions. With 20+ use cases, the initiative will enhance secure data sharing for a trusted European data ecosystem by preparing a data infrastructure, governance, and processing. ERTICO led the organisation and moderation of the project’s public kick-off during the Tomorrow.Mobility World Congress in Barcelona. This project’s expected impact in shaping the common European mobility data space cannot be overstated.
GUIDE is a CSA, funded under the Connecting Europe Facilities (CEF) Digital programme, that aims to ensure that the needs of the stakeholders in the 5G corridors ecosystem are reflected in the CEF Digital work programmes, and to coordinate the 5G SDA for CAM. One of the CSA’s goals is to collect and disseminate the best practices from previous CEF 5G corridor research and deployment projects. In its quest to deliver common approaches leading to a consistent deployment across the EU, GUIDE will also make good use of the groundwork prepared by projects such as the ERTICO-coordinated 5G-MOBIX. In October, ERTICO played a leading role in a workshop organised by the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA) and DG Connect.
PRIVATEER, a project funded by the Smart Networks Services (SNS) Joint Undertaking (JU), aims “to pave the way for 6G “privacy-first security” by studying, designing and developing innovative security enablers for 6G networks, following a privacy-by-design approach”. PRIVATEER will building on five real-world scenarios to identified challenges to its objective. Last June, ERTICO represented the PRIVATEER consortium at the EuCNC/6G Summit in Antwerp.
REALLOCATE is funded by the EU, under the CIVITAS Initiative, to contribute to the goals of the EU Mission Climate-Neutral and Smart Cities. The project goal is to pave the way for climate-neutral, safe, inclusive and smart European cities through integrated and innovative sustainable urban mobility solutions that will address the needs of diverse groups and communities, while rebalancing street space allocation.
STREnGth_M, funded under the Horizon Europe Programme, is a support action of ERTRAC, the European Road Transport Advisory Council. It will continue the work of previous projects to stimulate road transport research in Europe and around the globe for sustainable mobility. ERTICO will join many of its Partners in playing a key supporting role at the Road Transport Research Conference next February through STREnGth_M and its other projects.
Like REALLOCATE, SUM is a Horizon Europe project part of the CIVITAS Initiative. The project’s goal is to transform existing transportation networks by implementing innovative novel shared mobility systems (NSM) integrated with public transport, targeting 15+ European cities by 2026 and 30 cities by 2030. The project has nine Living Labs, some of which are ready to start trials by the end of the year. ERTICO has joined the project consortium in raising awareness at key events such as the Urban Mobility Days, Smart City World Congress , the Smart Sustainable Connected and Shared Mobility, and at the CIVITAS New Mobility Services Partnership launch event in Seville.
ERTICO Platforms
ERTICO’s Innovation Platforms and Data Spaces have also continued their impact, working alongside many in the ERTICO Partnership. These initiatives also worked closely together to optimise impact in a holistic approach to innovation in mobility.
ADASIS released its highly anticipated ADASISv3 2.1 specification April, which improves on the previous version with needed enhancements to support the access of HD maps.
SENSORIS, after a determined effort by the coordinator and the Platform members, finally became a non-profit association under Belgian Law on 8 November. This strategic move will allow SENSORIS to reach international standard status eventually and facilitate the widespread adoption of its standardised interface.
TM 2.0 organised several impactful workshops with NAPCORE and TN-ITS on the revision of the RTTI Delegated Regulation. TM 2.0 also actively supported the organisation of the 4th International Symposium on Freeway and Tollway Operations (ISFO), which was organised by the Transportation Research Board (TRB) and AustriaTech.
Data for Road Safety (DFRS), apart from signing a cooperation agreement with NAPCORE, also launched its live map for road-safety data and a self-declaration series on safety-related traffic events.
TN-ITS marks its 10th anniversary at a gathering on 14 December in Brussels. This year the Declaration of Lisbon was signed to merge the TN-ITS and with DATEXII standards.
TM 2.0, DFRS, TN-ITS, and MaaS Alliance also provided the specific application cases for PrepDSpace4Mobiliy’s crucial expert workshop.
EAVP, the newest Platform, had an active year. A highlight was the Platform’s ‘AVP Customer Journey’, which defines the entire process of booking, payment, and autonomous parking in a standardised and simple way. The streamlined user experience will make the service safer and more convenient.
Other ERTICO Initiatives
The ERTICO Academy revamped its e-Learning platform in April, and announced a new two-hour online training called “Interconnecting the Autonomous Mobility Ecosystem”, which is a part of a series of courses developed by SHOW focussing on the deployment of public transport and logistics services using autonomous vehicles. ERTICO Academy, in cooperation with ERTICO partner, SAENA GmbH, conducted a comprehensive training program in Dresden, focusing on ITS and C-ITS and their role in reducing emissions from the transport sector.
The presence of the ERTICO City Moonshot in the Smart Mobility Summit of Cities and Regions during the ITS European Congress in Lisbon was highly important. Also significant was that, here, Seville, the city that will host the ITS European Congress next year, also joined the City Moonshot ecosystem. The city joins the almost 200 cities interviewed so far. Last week at ERTICO’s ‘Focus on’ micro mobility in London, the City Moonshot presented some preliminary results from phase II about questions related to that topic.
Thank you for reading!
The ERTICO team would like to thank our Partners for reading and sharing their updates via the ERTICO website and newsletter. You can also keep up with all the news about the projects, Data Spaces and Platforms via their websites, where you will also find their social media listings.
Best wishes for the end of the year. We look forward to more excellent cooperation in 2024!
The projects mentioned in this article are (co)funded by the European Union.
