Milton Keynes trials Aurrigo autonomous shuttle

Aurrigo self-driving shuttle

Aurrigo International is trialling its autonomous auto-shuttle vehicle on a city centre loop in the UK city of Milton Keynes. It will connect Santander’s new UK HQ at Unity Place with centre:mk, the Theatre District and Station Square. Aurrigo first deployed its four-seater driverless pods in the city nine years ago. The testing forms part of the LivingLAPT project that is funded by EIT Urban Mobility and led by University College London (UCL). Europe-wide autonomous trials The Europe-wide research trials have already been operating in Prague and Brno in the…

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Dutch carshare operator partners to create energy storage facility

We Drive Solar

Dutch carsharing operator MyWheels is deploying CloudBoxx from Invers into its latest fleet of shared cars with bidirectional charging technology. The company is also partnering with We Drive Solar and thanks to the integration of more than 200 We Drive Solar vehicles into the MyWheels fleet, carsharing company is enabling customers in the Dutch city of Utrecht to use cars as a neighbourhood energy storage facility. Increasing grid resilience With bidirectional charging technology, electric vehicles (EVs) can get power from a charging station and also return power to the grid…

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Santiago uses AI to transform public transport network

Santiago Chile

Santiago is introducing new artificial intelligence software to manage a citywide public transportation system. Sonda, a contractor of the Directorio de Transporte Público Metropolitano (DTPM), has selected Optibus, as the planning, scheduling, and EV management software for all buses across the city. The goal is to enhance and optimise public transportation for the seven million residents in the Chilean capital. Advanced bus fleet Established in 2013, the DTPM oversees the city’s bus network, which consists of nearly 7,000 buses, including more than 2,000 electric buses, operated through 11 concession contracts.…

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Rampini wins major bus contract for Italian public transport

Eltron Rampini Elektrobus

Consip, the procurement arm of Italy’s Ministry of Economy and Finance, has awarded a contract for the supply of up to 280 zero-emission electric buses for Italian public transport. Rampini has won the Consip tender for its Eltron model, an eight-metre long manufactured at its facility in Passignano sul Trasimeno in the Province of Perugia, Umbria. Recovery and resilience plan The vehicles purchased through Consip are financed with resources provided by the Italian National Recovery and Resilience Plan (PNRR). The Eltron is available in two- or three-door versions, with a…

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Apcoa and BP Pulse to create European network of EV hubs

EV fast charging hubs

BP Pulse and Apcoa Parking Group have signed an agreement to open more than 100 EV fast charging hubs across Europe to help accelerate urban e-mobility infrastructure. Under the strategic pan-European agreement, BP Pulse plans to install ultra-fast charging at Apcoa car parks – so-called “Urban Hubs” – in Germany, Austria, Belgium, Luxembourg, the Netherlands, Poland and the UK over the next three years. Digital integration The two companies aim to work together to provide a convenient customer journey through digital integration of the BP Pulse and Apcoa Connect app…

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Iteris and Otonomo partner to unlock granular mobility data

Mobility platform Otonomo

Mobility platform Otonomo has been chosen by Iteris to support its traffic intelligence solutions for the public and private sectors. Iteris announced a multi-year agreement to integrate connected vehicle data available through the Otonomo Smart Mobility Data Platform into its ClearMobility solution. Mobility data insights The additional data source will help Iteris unlock new mobility insights from its multiple sources of traffic intelligence, advance its digital mobility infrastructure solutions for the public sector and enterprise customers, and deliver on its mission of creating a future of smarter and connected transportation.…

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Electric charging corridor for e-trucks launched in Europe

e-truck charging stations

BP Pulse is launching Europe’s first public electric charging corridor for trucks. Eight dedicated e-truck charging stations are located at key sites along the Rhine-Alpine corridor, one of Europe’s busiest road freight routes. The corridor connects key North Sea ports in Belgium and the Netherlands with the Mediterranean port of Genoa, Italy, connecting through a network of roads stretching a total of 1,300km. Fast electric charging The new chargers have been installed on Aral retail sites in Germany between the Rhine-Neckar metropolitan area and the Rhine-Ruhr metropolitan region. Aral is…

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Oxbotica to deploy AV operating system around the world

EV Blanc Robot Oxbotica

Autonomous vehicle software developer Oxbotica has raised US$140m (£115m) in Series C investment to drive its global expansion and accelerate commercialisation of its technology. The investment round includes financial and strategic partners from North America, Emea and Apac, including new investors such as Aioi Nissay Dowa Insurance Company and Eneos Innovation Partners. Current Oxbotica shareholders which are re-investing include BP Ventures, BGF, Halma, Hostplus, Kiko Ventures (IP Group), Ocado Group, Tencent, Venture Science and ZF, among other global companies. Following today’s announcement, Oxbotica has raised approximately $225m to date. Shared…

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Autonomous street sweeper launched in Shenzhen

Taoping autonomous street sweeper

A next generation autonomous street sweeper and modular smart rest station have been unveiled in Shenzhen’s highly popular Xiangmi Park. The southeastern China city’s “Citizen Park” or Xiangmi Park is one of China’s more famous and scenic spots and serves as a popular site ranging from online influencers and people taking a stroll to children and elderly exercising. Costly daily cleaning Shenzhen reports the high volume of daily visitors enjoying the 424,000 square metre park also creates a considerable amount of waste, which is time consuming and costly to clean.…

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Strategic alliance to deploy EV chargers in Latin America

Blink Charging Latin America

Blink Charging has announced a collaborative agreement with Citybest, a transport mobility app, to deploy electric vehicle (EV) chargers in Latin America and help advance the EV charging ecosystem in the region. Initially, 70 EV chargers are scheduled for installation through this alliance in Mexico and Chile to help meet driver demands – according to Americas Market Intelligence data more than one million electric vehicles will be sold in LatAm by 2030. Free charging Through the agreement with Citybest, Blink will install 50 Blink MQ 200 chargers at hotel chains…

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Phoenix airport launches autonomous service with Waymo

Waymo’s fully electric Jaguar I-Pace vehicle

A fully autonomous Waymo vehicle service has launched to the general public at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport. City of Phoenix mayor Kate Gallego arrived at the 44th Street and Washington PHX Sky Train Station via a Waymo vehicle to launch the new service. Future mobility It claims to be the first airport in the world to offer travellers the ability to take a Waymo autonomous vehicle as a means of transportation to and from the airport. “Phoenix is leading the future of mobility and modernising how the world will…

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Mobility-as-a-service spend to grow more than 350 per cent

Mobility‑as‑a‑service (MaaS)

Mobility‑as‑a‑service (MaaS) will generate revenue of $92bn globally by 2027; up from $20bn in 2022, according a study by Juniper Research. Growing by 357 per cent over the period, Juniper reports that the main drivers will be the cost and convenience of MaaS solutions and the increased investment in MaaS infrastructure. Integrating MaaS with smart city ecosystems The report urges transit planning authorities to take a holistic approach to urban mobility by integrating MaaS into the wider smart city ecosystem to leverage real-time data from smart city sensors and maximise…

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US Postal Service plans to deploy 66,000 electric vehicles

US Postal Service cars

The United States Postal Service has announced that it intends to deploy more than 66,000 electric vehicles by 2028. The vehicles form part of its 106,000-vehicle acquisition plan for deliveries between now and 2028 and will begin to replace the Postal Service’s aging delivery fleet of over 220,000 vehicles. Network modernisation The move is enabled by the Postal Service’s overall Delivering for America network modernisation efforts which allows for a more rapid deployment of EVs, and its improving financial condition, which includes $3bn in congressional funding appropriated under the Inflation…

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China plans world’s largest driverless ride-hailing area

China autonomous city

Artificial intelligence company Baidu has announced plans to build what it claims will be the world’s largest autonomous ride-hailing service area in 2023. The plans outline a goal to expand the operation area for its fully driverless robotaxis, allowing Baidu company to reach more potential customers. Driverless ride-hailing cities Since August 2022, Baidu has operated fully driverless ride-hailing services in the cities of Chongqing and Wuhan, with access to hundreds of square kilometres of operational area. It will continue to expand on this area next year. Additionally, Baidu revealed a…

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Robotic couriers to operate in Tallinn Old Town

Robotic couriers Tallinn Old Town

The City of Tallinn has signed an agreement with robotic courier company Cleveron Mobility to provide unmanned parcel delivery services in the Old Town. Developing carbon-neutral mobility in urban spaces is one of the Estonian capital’s goals as the European Green Capital 2023. Autonomous vehicles Cleveron Mobility is developing the multifunctional unmanned vehicles named Clevon 1, which aims to make the delivery of goods more environmentally and customer friendly as well as faster and cheaper. The robotic courier claims to provide a noise-free parcel delivery service, while ensuring pedestrian safety.…

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