On 18 November, key players from all sides of the mobility debate took part in a wide ranging conference on ‘Intelligent Mobility for Smart Cities’ in Brussels. The conference examined how intelligent mobility technologies will integrate into the everyday lives of citizens living in smart cities through the development of vehicle connectivity, automation and adaptive infrastructure.
Keynote speaker John Baekelmans, CTO of CISCO’s Smart+Connected Communities, highlighted the crucial role that transportation will play in smart cities as it is essential for inhabitants to be mobile in their daily lives. Intelligent mobility options underpin a functional society, facilitating economic growth and social interaction.
The event took place as the concluding event of the iMobility Challenge. Experts from innovation companies, researchers and policymakers shared the latest ideas and examples of intelligent mobility services and technologies deployment. The event was divided into two breakout sessions, ‘mobility for smart-cities’ discussed how we will move around cities tomorrow; and ‘smart vehicles’ discussed what future vehicles will look like, investigating emerging trends such as vehicle connectivity and automation.
The conference concluded with closing remarks from public authorities, including the Mobility Minister of Brussels and the UK’s Department for Transport to discuss the role that policymakers can play in the deployment of intelligent mobility. Both speakers supported strong governmental support to fully realise the best outcomes for mobility.
The iMobility Challenge has promoted and demonstrated the benefits of intelligent vehicle systems for energy efficient, safe and smart mobility, seeking better understanding and buy-in for the technologies throughout Europe. Some of the campaign’s highlights have included Formula One drivers racing electric vehicles on an airstrip in The Hague, eco-driving competitions in the city centre of Istanbul and
Helsinki and live demonstrations of various cooperative ITS systems, including the emergency eCall system. All events gave the opportunity to the participating experts and public to get first-hand experience of advanced technologies. To date, events have taken place in Belgium, Luxembourg, France, Finland, The Netherlands, Spain, Turkey and Germany.
If you were not present at the conference or would like to see video recordings from the breakout session you did not attend, all presentations will be uploaded on the iMobility Challenge YouTube channel.
About the iMobility Challenge
iMobility Challenge, is a EU funded project by DG Connect of the European Commission to demonstrate the benefits of efficient, safe and smart mobility through new Intelligent Transport System (ITS) solutions. The FIA is leading the coordination of the project, working with partners ACEA (European automobile manufacturers association), CLEPA (the European association of Automotive suppliers), ERTICO (the network of Intelligent Transport Systems and Services stakeholders in Europe) and VTT (Technical Research Centre of Finland).
For more information, contact Maria de Rycke (m.derycke@mail.ertico.com)
