The first month of 2024 delivered many fruitful discussions and enriching dialogues on the future of Smart Mobility and ITS. During the first Brussels Auto Show and the 51st ATEC ITS France Congress in Paris, ERTICO CEO, Mr Joost Vantomme, had the great honour of delivering keynote addresses on ERTICO’s commitment to safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility solutions, showcasing collaborative efforts aligning with EU initiatives. ERTICO Chairman, Dr Angelos Amditis, Chief Innovation Officer, Dr Johanna Tzanidaki and Senior Manager Dr Stephane Dreher also participated at the Annual TRB Meeting in Washington, underscoring ERTICO’s commitment to driving innovation and collaborating on a global scale. As we continue to spearhead initiatives throughout the coming year, ERTICO and its Partners will remain at the forefront of transforming the mobility landscape.
ERTICO CEO, Mr Joost Vantomme, delivered an insightful keynote address at the B2B Automobility Conference held during the inaugural Brussels Auto Show 2024.
Following his introduction of ERTICO’s commitment to contributing, facilitating, and promoting safe, efficient, and sustainable mobility solutions, Mr Vantomme pointed out ERTICO’s pivotal role in bridging the gap between physical and digital infrastructure, industrial and technological innovation, and regulatory policy. He also showcased the collaborative spirit of its Partnership, revealing the impact of EU-funded projects and innovation platforms aligned with key EU initiatives such as the European Green Deal, European Data Strategy, Sustainable & Smart Mobility Strategy, and the EU Missions.
Another central theme of his address was the connection between ITS and sustainability, with a focus on the automotive sector. Mr Vantomme highlighted key components such as safety, security, automated driving, and traffic efficiency, emphasising the importance of connected and cooperative mobility. These are also instrumental in the development of the Taxonomy approach of the European Commission. It is all about information and communication technologies, data sharing and synchronisation between transport infrastructures, service providers and users of such infrastructure which ERTICO’s 2024 work will continue to promote. He also underscored the significance of enhancing urban mobility, optimising space and time, integrating multimodal digital services and solutions, and advancing electric charging—all contributing to the broader goal of sustainability in terms of climate and air quality.
In conclusion, Mr Vantomme shed light on the evolving landscape of mobility today, addressing the roles of software defined vehicles, shared mobility models, global supply chain optimisation, urban space utilization, and micro mobility. He emphasised the interconnectedness of vehicles with both physical and digital infrastructure, the global supply chain, the critical need for user trust in the connected and automated system, and the crucial role of ITS in connecting these various aspects—a principle that ERTICO proudly upholds.
At the Annual TRB meeting in Washington, ERTICO’s Chairman, Dr Angelos Amditis, Chief Innovation Officer, Dr Johanna Tzanidaki, and Dr Stephane Dreher provided a comprehensive overview of ERTICO, and its contributions to the European Intelligent Transportation Systems (ITS) and Smart Mobility community.
Dr Amditis discussed the Strategic ITS trends in Europe, emphasising ERTICO’s active involvement in European Mobility Data Spaces, highlighting Smart Mobility as a fundamental element for building sustainable cities, advocating for a holistic approach through collaborative open-source initiatives, research, innovation, technical advocacy for sustainability, international synergies, and knowledge-sharing.
Dr Tzanidaki, in her presentation to the ITS Committee of the US National Academy of Sciences, introduced ERTICO’s thought leadership concept of TM 2.0 and the derived concept of Mobility Network Management and explained how ERTICO plans to deploy it across Europe and beyond. She also highlighted ERTICO’s crucial role in Innovation Platforms such as TN-ITS, Data for Road Safety (DFRS), and ADASIS AISBL, along with its position as an associate partner of the MaaS Alliance.
Dr Dreher also participated for the second consecutive year in the online workshop on Roadway Digital Infrastructure & Connectivity Peer Exchange, underlining ERTICO’s commitment to ongoing technical exchanges. He highlighted various activities and initiatives aimed at enabling data exchange and enhancing accessibility.
On Tuesday, 23rd January at the gates of Paris, the 51st ATEC ITS France Congress unfolded. ERTICO CEO, Mr Vantomme was honoured to be invited to the Opening Plenary as a keynote speaker, highlighting ‘What’s new in C-ITS?’ and the ongoing collaboration with the ITS Nationals Network organisations.
Mr Vantomme offered insights into the revised ITS directive, navigating the intricate landscape of the European policy agenda and how C-ITS continues to be a key focus within the European data strategy and the revised ITS Directive, defining crucial elements for C-ITS. Updates in priority areas, especially in Connected, Cooperative, and Automated Mobility (CCAM), include specifications for its services and the new role of the European Commission in the EU C-ITS Security Credential Management System. Mr Vantomme highlighted the preparatory works for an EU C-ITS framework, originating from ERTICO projects, deliverables of the C-ITS platform, C-ROADS, Car-2-Car Communication Consortium and various other initiatives.
Mr Vantomme not only covered the regulatory landscape but also delved into real-world use cases in adjacent areas such as data sharing for road safety. ERTICO is pleased to host the Data for Road Safety platform bringing together public and private actors to exchange data, enabled by the ITS directive. In his concluding remarks, Mr Vantomme pointed out that the wealth of topics discussed at this conference will contribute to laying the groundwork for deeper exploration and elaborations of ideas at the upcoming ITS World Congress in Dubai from 16-20 September.
