The global innovation platform firm Plug and Play is launching a smart cities accelerator programme in Osaka at the end of 2020. It aims to make the Keihanshin metropolitan area of the Japanese city one of the world’s leading start-up ecosystems as well as contribute to Osaka’s smart city progress. Accelerating innovation Plug and Play Japan KK recently opened its third office in the country in Osaka City at Knowledge Capital and will carry out the accelerator programme. Plug and Play is a global venture capital/accelerator firm that partners with…

UK-based Urban-Air Port and Hyundai Air Mobility have announced a partnership to explore the creation of a purpose-built, multi-functional and scalable infrastructure to enable urban transportation systems to move people and cargo by air. Hyundai forecasts the air mobility market will be worth nearly $1.5 trillion over the next 20 years but countries lack the appropriate ground infrastructure. UAM investment The company, part of the Hyundai Motor Group division, plans to invest $1.5bn in urban air mobility (UAM) over the next five years to create an air vehicle and the…

Contract with ABB is part of a broader push to accelerate the nation’s shift towards sustainable mobility with a target of increasing the share of EVs and plug-in hybrids to between 20-30 per cent by 2030. Japan’s e-Mobility Power Company (eMP) has selected ABB to help support the upgrading of the country’s electric vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure. To modernise the EV charging infrastructure, eMP will replace obsolete chargers with more than ABB 250 Terra 184 units. Deliveries are scheduled to begin this autumn. Sustainable mobility The contract is part of…

Homeowners will have the opportunity to take part in the initiative which is intended to cope with increased demand brought about by electric vehicles, electric heating and increasing population. Social Energy has announced a project to support UK Power Networks’ development of a smart grid in London, the South East, and East of England. The green energy supplier is working with UK Power Networks, an electricity distribution network operator for those regions, to help deliver a future-focused smart grid that is more reliable and prepared for higher energy demand. Electric…

A survey reveals that city living is falling short for many people in the digital age and more than a third of citizens are willing to pay for more enriched digital services. Only one in 10 global city officials are in the advanced stages of implementing a smart city vision, and less than a quarter (22 per cent) have begun implementing smart city initiatives, new research finds. According to the Capgemini Research Institute report, many citizens are frustrated with the current set up of the city in which they live…

It has been developed to help inform bids for Tranche 2 of the Government’s Emergency Active Travel Fund, particularly for authorities which have not yet developed local walking and cycling investment plans. Sustrans, the UK walking and cycling charity, and the Department for Transport have commissioned Institute for Transport Studies, University of Leeds, to develop a tool to help identify locations for new cycleways in England. The Rapid Cycleway Prioritisation Tool identifies priority locations for new cycleways, ranking roads by their cycling potential estimated using the Propensity to Cycle Tool.…

US cities are increasingly turning to solar to meet their energy needs with 50 major urban areas having each more than doubled their total installed solar photovoltaic (PV) capacity since 2013, a new study reveals. The top five leaders per capita overall are: Honolulu; San Diego; Albuquerque; San Jose; and Burlington. For total solar PV installed, the top five are: Los Angeles; San Diego; Honolulu; Phoenix; and San Antonio. Shining Cities 2020 The report, Shining Cities 2020: The Top US Cities for Solar Energy, released by Environment America Research &…