ElectriCity Test Arena for Air Quality Measurement

Wednesday, April 3, 2019

How can air quality in Gothenburg be measured in a smarter and more cost-effective way? A group of Chalmers University of Technology students will study this question in collaboration with ElectriCity. An electrified bus on line 55 will function as a mobile measuring station during operation on its normal route.

The students are studying data technology at Chalmers. The idea was developed during an ideathon arranged by Ericsson, Chalmers, RISE and Västtrafik, among others. The challenge of the competition was to develop innovative solutions coupled with sustainable development and public transportation.

"We realised how important it is to combat the global problem of poor air quality and good data is essentially to taking the correct approach," says Henrik Hagfeldt, one of the students in the project.

Part of the difficulty of measuring air quality today is that it is expensive to install the equipment and data acquisition often takes place at a single point. With the Chalmers students´ solution, they hope to minimise costs while collecting more relevant data.

"We want to solve the problem by using several small and relatively cheap sensors that are coupled together. By using a sensor on a moving bus, we also gain a better overall picture and come closer to places where people dwell", says Henrik Hagfeldt.

The measurements start in the beginning of April and will continue for the entire month. The students use technology developed by Ericsson on the buses on line 55. Measuring stations will also be located at the Teknikgatan indoor bus stop and Götaplatsen on line 55. Gothenburg City´s existing measuring station at Nordstan will also be incorporated into the test. Information about particulate matter, air humidity and temperature are part of the measurements.

"Our goal is to be able to visualise and monitor air quality measurements in real-time and to save the historical data so that it is accessible for analysis", concludes Henrik Hagfeld.

This summer, the Chalmers students will travel to Stockholm to present their winning contribution. They will compete against ideathon winners from other cities at the UITP Global Public Transport Summit. UITP is a global organisation for all public transportation. The participating students from Chalmers are: Åke Axeland, Magnus Carlsson, Simon Duchén, Henrik Hagfeldt, Lina Lagerquist and Sofija Zdjelar.