iMobility Challenge 11 September 2013: showing the future of mobility
On 11 September Europe saw the future of mobility at the Valkenburg airstrip in the Netherlands. With the vision of “intelligent mobility for Smart Cities”, the iMobility Challenge event aimed to demonstrate how European cities can be provided with smart, energy-efficient, low-pollution and safe transport systems. Organised by the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile) with local support from the Royal Dutch Touring Club (ANWB) and funded by the European Commission, the event provided a taste of the next generation of mobility solutions and included high-level technology demonstrations.
“Thanks to vehicle connectivity, we are on the verge of a new era in mobility. An array of new technologies provides an outlook to safer, greener and smarter driving experiences for road users, but reaching out to them is of critical importance,” said Jean Todt, President of the FIA.
Formula one star Nico Rosberg with Dutch racing drivers Giedo van der Garde, Robin Frijns and Kevin Abbring were present to endorse intelligent mobility and demonstrate the high performance capabilities of electric vehicles. Attendees included the world’s leading motoring organisations, mobility experts, universities, industry CEOs, and international and national policy makers, as well as the media.
Demonstrations and test drives were available for mobility solutions such as: electric cars; cooperative applications[1]; ecodriving; and the latest driver safety assistance systems[2]
The event was divided into four thematic areas: efficient, cooperative, smart and safe mobility, there was also the possibility to demo autonomous, ‘driverless’, cars and vehicles equipped with the automatic emergency “eCall” system[3].
The 2013 iMobility awards were also handed out at the event, rewarding industry and government efforts to accelerate the development and deployment of intelligent transport systems (ITS) across Europe. The Industry/Technology Award went to Gemalto, represented by Marcel Visser, for his active role in the deployment of the eCall system. The Policy award went to Rijkswaterstaat, represented by Paul van der Kroon, for his work in pushing for the deployment and gaining road authorities’ support of ITS. Finally, the National/Local ITS Implementation Award went to VTT Technical Research Centre Finland, represented by Petri Mononen, for work which accelerated the deployment of after-market and nomadic device oriented ITS[4].
NOTES FOR THE EDITORS:
iMobility Challenge
This EU funded project by DG Connect of the European Commission is designed 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 (European Association of Automotive Suppliers), ERTICO (European Road Transport Telematics Implementation Coordination Organisation) and VTT (Technical Research Center of Finland).
http://www.imobilitychallenge.eu/
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[1] i.e. based on vehicle-to-infrastructure communication.
[3] The eCall system equips a vehicle with the capability to call for assistance via the activation of in-vehicle sensors in case of an accident. The European Commission’s proposed legislation foresees that by October 2015, all new models of passenger cars and light duty vehicles should be equipped with eCall. The eCall technology has great potential to save lives in shortening dramatically the time of intervention of emergency services (it is estimated that 2500 lives per year could be saves across Europe).
[4] A full list of the award winners’ activities can be found at www.imobilitysupport.eu/component/easyblog/entry/imobility-awards-2013
Source: FIA
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