Rapid urbanization and population growth are causing increased traffic, high congestion and delays, aging infrastructure, and climate change continue to challenge our cities worldwide.
To avoid pollution and spending more time in traffic jams or at bus stops than in moving traffic, we need to find solutions. Autonomous driving can help make the mobility of the future cleaner, more efficient, and smoother. This is good for our quality of life and saves resources, which is exactly what a smart city should be.
Technology is developing at a rapid pace
In the wake of the disruptive impact of COVID-19, mobility is being seen through a different lens. We have been advised to avoid unnecessary travel. Public transport that we have taken for granted – trains, buses, and metros – is changing dramatically to allow for more passenger spacing. We were able to witness that fewer cars on the road during the pandemic resulted in cleaner air. The global carbon dioxide emissions fell by 6.4%, or 2.3 billion tonnes, in 2020. The United States contributed the most to the global dip, with a nearly 13% decrease in its emissions, mainly due to a sharp decline in vehicle transportation that began with lockdowns in March and continued as the pandemic escalated at the end of the year.
New technology and urban mobility solutions will not only play a significant role in dropping the global carbon emission but also the socio-economic factors of our daily life. The ongoing technological transformation could be strengthened by the use of economic instruments, especially those that promote resource- and emission-saving innovations.
The concepts seem clear. People use e-scooters, e-bikes, or even an e-bicycle to cover the remaining distance to their destination. But in the future, urban life will change more profoundly than previously thought. It will no longer be just a matter of getting from A to B, but also social interaction and a way of spending leisure time.
The route towards a German Partnership for Sustainable Mobility
Urban mobility and autonomous driving mean more than just letting go of the steering wheel. To make autonomous driving possible, several technical challenges must be overcome.
From IoT to open, integrated data pools, or faster, more reliable connectivity to high-precision software solutions, emerging technologies can help improve the efficiency of production and trade by reducing the negative footprint of transport.
Due to the scarcity of energy resources, the high density of people and enterprises, as well as the compactness of the country, Germany opted early on for energy-efficient, integrated and smart solutions in the transport sector.
HD Maps
atlatec specializes in building high-definition maps for autonomous driving and simulation
Data Fusion Software
BASELABS provides sensor fusion software for safe automated driving.
Positioning Solutions
NAVENTIK develops and markets PATHFINDER, a high-precision software solution for automobile positioning.
Energy Storage Systems
ads-tec GmbH is developing and producing intelligent energy solutions based on lithium-ion storage technologies.
Sustainable Mobility
citkar developed The Loadster e-cargo bike, a clever combination of bicycle and car: stable, reliable ,and intuitive to operate.
Smart Sensors
IRIS develops and produces intelligent sensors for automatic passenger counting in vehicles of public transport. The sensors are mounted above the vehicle doors and are transferring the number of boarding and alighting passengers to the vehicle’s onboard computer. The count data acquired by the sensors will be used for operation optimization, capacity planning, or revenue sharing
Charging & Energy Management
The Mobility House has built a technology platform, that enables reliable & efficient charging of electric vehicle fleets using intelligent charging and energy solutions.
Joining forces to shape the future of urban mobility
The Jetsons foreshadowed the interconnected lives that we lead today — but couldn’t foresee how large cities on both sides of the Atlantic would grow or how important sustainability would become.
We organized a two-session virtual conference to explore how German and American Smart City players can work together to advance the development of technologies that help to make cities more efficient and green.
If you would like to join the discussion between our German companies and German American experts, RSVP now for the second session of our two-part virtual conference #SmarCityInnovations on September 30, 2021.
If you are interested in learning more about the latest trends and outlook of energy efficiency and safety technologies, you can RSVP here for the first session on September 28, 2021.
