Electro Mobility in smart cities

Watch video from the conference

One of the topics at the Electro Mobility in Smart Cities-conference was ”How can smart cities accelerate emobility?”, but discussions were about if the question should be asked the other way around; “How can emoblity accelerate smart cities?”

According to Jenny Miltell, ABB, the technology needed is already available. Smart, sustainable cities need seamless integration between internet of things, services and people. A holistic perspective is crucial and that demands cooperation and collaboration between the industry and the municipalities. Everybody has to strive for the same goals.

"Smart grids are key to a smart city and we must be able to control and manage energy sources, such as wind and sun power, more intelligently than we do today", says Jenny Miltell, ABB.

Urban Wästljung, Scania, says smart cities are all about making city life pleasant. According to him there are four main drivers of sustainable public transport; congestion, pollution, energy security and climate change. New solutions are needed and more people need to go by bus.

"There are technical and regulatory challenges when it comes to develop smart, sustainable transportation systems. And one should not underestimate the importance of public acceptance. When rich people take the bus it’s a sign of great acceptance", says Urban Wästljung, Scania, who prefers riding a bus, rather than going by taxi.                       

Jenny Skagestad, Zero, Norway, explains why Norway has taken a top position when it comes to the use of electrical vehicles.

"There are no taxes when you by an electrical car in Norway and 16% of all new cars vehicles purchased in Norway are electric. That is electric 100.000 cars. In Sweden the number is 8.000 cars. In Norway it’s become normal to have an electric car", says Jenny Skagetad, Zero, Norway.

And in Norway not only cars and buses are electric. A competition was held with the goal to develop an electrical ferry and the market gave Norway its first electrical ferry. Now there are ten of them and more to come as a parliament resolution demands that all public transport needs to be electric or at least not run by fossil fuel.

"The key accelerator to enable the development of smart cities with smart transportation is cooperation", says Jenny Skagestad.

See what John Boesel, Calstart, US and Jenny Skagestad, Zero, Norway and more have to say about emobility as an accelerator for sustainable cities.