Middle East
Monta and CITA EV announce a partnership to deploy charging stations for electric vehicles on Middle East
Traffic Technology Today 25.11.2021
Electric vehicle charging software manufacturer Monta and e-mobility solutions provider CITA EV have announced a new partnership that will help significantly expand the infrastructure of electric vehicle charging stations in the Middle East.
As part of the agreement, CITA will use the Monta app to provide businesses and organizations in the Middle East with opportunities to install and manage new charging points.
Monta will also provide round-the-clock customer support and a payment system to ensure a seamless charging process for charging station owners and drivers.
The Monta platform brings together organizations and toll booth installers to provide more solutions for electric vehicles, such as smart queues and redundancy functions.
The infrastructure of charging stations in the Middle East will undergo significant changes as the number of electric vehicles increases. Countries such as Qatar and Saudi Arabia are aiming for at least 10% and 30% of cars to be electric by 2030, respectively, while the United Arab Emirates is aiming to introduce 42,000 electric vehicles over the same time period.
"The number of electric vehicles in the Middle East has grown tenfold in the last five years, to the point that the current number of charging stations simply cannot meet demand," says Ian Beatty, director of sales and operations at CITA. "Organizations across the region are striving to support the transition to electric vehicles, as well as flexible solutions that will benefit everyone, but simply cannot do it fast enough. This is where Monta comes to the rescue, offering seamless integration of charging stations."
"CITA's work in deploying charging stations in the Middle East is second to none, and this partnership represents a great opportunity to provide environmentally friendly transportation for businesses and drivers across the region," says Kasper Rasmussen, CEO and co-founder of Monta. "The Middle East is now a key growing market and we are excited to show how easy it is to transition to electric mobility."
United Kingdom
Combining payment for parking and charging electric vehicles
Traffic Technology Today 23.11.2021
The provider of infrastructure and services for charging electric vehicles, Mobilize Power Solutions UK, has entered into a partnership agreement with Chipside, the developer of MiPermit, a virtual cashless charging system, to offer combined solutions for charging electric vehicles and paying for parking.
This collaboration will make charging in public car parks more convenient for more than 345,000 electric car drivers in the UK. Drivers will be able to pay for parking and charging in one simple app, which means they can complete the operation quickly and know the cost of both charging and parking.
In most parking lots, payment for parking and charging is carried out separately, and often charging points require the driver to attach the card to the reader before leaving the parking lot.
"We wanted to make charging more convenient for people using parking lots, and our partnership with Chipside allows us to combine reliable chargers with an easy payment option," says Mark Dickens, managing director of Mobilize Power Solutions.
Yunex Traffic will install Zephyr air quality monitors in Liverpool
Traffic Technology Today 25.11.2021
The United Liverpool Region Administration (LCR) has signed a contract with Yunex Traffic for the supply of 37 Zephyr air quality monitoring devices and their maintenance for five years.
Monitoring devices will be installed at 37 regulated intersections with the possibility of installing 10 more if necessary.
Monitoring devices will be integrated with the existing Yunex Traffic Stratos traffic management and control systems of local authorities in LCR, which will allow analyzing trends in environmental conditions. The information will also be used to take timely measures and implement strategies based on real-time data on pollution, temperature and humidity.
"With the launch of our air quality monitoring devices at the end of 2020, we are pleased to add LCR to our growing user base following similar installations in Reading, Warrington, Bedford and Cardiff," says Wilke Rains, Yunex Traffic, UK. "Air quality has become a real priority for local authorities, but in order to fully understand the impact of traffic and any strategic measures, it must be constantly monitored and measured. The Zephyr and Stratos devices represent a solution that can help authorities improve air quality by enabling the implementation of traffic management strategies based on real-time data. "
Using innovative technology, the Zephyr device has a system of replaceable cartridges and an active sampling mechanism for real-time measurement of nitrogen dioxide (NO2), nitrogen oxide (NO), ozone (O3), as well as solid particles of PM1, PM2,5 and PM10 fractions in atmospheric in the air. If necessary, it is also possible to measure the content of carbon monoxide (CO), hydrogen sulfide (H2S) and sulfur dioxide (SO2).
Israel
New partnership in the field of autonomous charging stations on hydrogen fuel cells
Traffic Technology Today 22.11.2021
GenCell Energy, an Israeli supplier of fuel cell technology solutions, has signed an agreement with EV Motors, an Israeli importer of electric vehicles, chargers and energy storage systems, on cooperation in developing a project to integrate GenCell alkaline fuel cells with EV Motors electric vehicle charging technology.
The new technology will allow the creation of autonomous charging stations that will eliminate the need for backup generators on fossil fuels, and will provide demonstration sites that are expected to arouse interest from e-mobility companies around the world.
This cooperation will facilitate the supply of charging infrastructure around the world necessary to meet the global demand in the electric vehicle charging market, which is expected to exceed US$ 207 billion by 2030.
GenCell and EV Motors will create a new solution for autonomous hybrid charging, which will provide reliable local power sources with zero emissions. The joint system is expected to be ready for initial deployment in Israel by the first half of 2022.
"EV Motors and its subsidiaries are constantly exploring and developing solutions to the challenges of transitioning from fossil fuel-powered vehicles to electric-powered vehicles. We are very pleased to work with GenCell to provide environmentally friendly fuel cells for our charging stations, thereby offering the market a reliable and efficient solution," says Ohad Seligmann, Chairman of EV Motors. "Our engineers are working closely with the GenCell team to integrate its technologies into our autonomous charging station solution.
As the number of electric vehicles increases, the demand for the services of a network of charging stations will grow exponentially. This can become a big problem in remote areas where it is difficult to connect stations to the power grid. The key solution will be autonomous charging stations for electric vehicles powered by hydrogen and ammonia.
USA
Financing of non-motorized traffic in the USA
Traffic Technology Today 25.11.2021
The effects of the COVID-19 pandemic have weakened America's dependence on cars. Lockdowns have pushed the population to look for new ways of moving, and government officials have drawn attention to these trends. This is evident in the financing of pedestrian and bicycle infrastructure.
The city of Fort Worth, Texas, announced a $4 million plan to improve pedestrian and bicycle safety. The invitation of partners from the private sector is expected in January 2022. The project provides for the reconstruction of city streets, the installation of improved road signalling, road repairs and the construction of bicycle paths.
A similar project is being developed in Pennsylvania in the city of East Lampeter. The initiative's budget is approximately $32 million, and it includes the installation of signalling equipment on the roadway and the simplification of cycling.
In New York, $1.1 million has been allocated under the state Alternative Transportation Program (TAP) to finance a bicycle infrastructure project on Erie Boulevard. Another million dollars of state funding was provided to start the development phase of the project. The goal of the upcoming project is to make the boulevard more convenient and safe for cycling.
The leaders of the city of Indianola, Iowa, plan to make city roads more convenient for hiking and cycling. An initial budget of $414,000 has been allocated for engineering design. Another $4 million will be allocated for construction.
In Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, a project will soon be launched to support pedestrian and bicycle traffic, as well as more efficient management of the flow of vehicles along the busiest corridors of the city. A partnership will be formed to develop a multimodal corridor between the northern and southern districts of the city. The corridor will have sidewalks and shared paths for pedestrians and bicyclists that comply with the Americans with Disabilities Act. The project budget of $41.9 million has been announced.
Improving the infrastructure for pedestrians and cyclists in Bloomington, Indiana, is seen as upgrading the intersections of main streets. The city will be looking for partners who will help make the roadway accessible to cyclists and pedestrians. A new road signalling technology will be installed and lane configuration updates are planned. The financing of the project is set at $8.3 million.
In Indiana, it is planned to replace two bridges, ensuring the safety and accessibility of cycling. Additional work will include the creation of an adjacent road specifically for pedestrians and cyclists. The estimated budget for this project is $27.9 million.
The $5 million project in Ross, Ohio, will aim to reduce traffic congestion, but first it requires a feasibility study to outline ways to ensure pedestrian and bicycle traffic.
France
France is developing Europe's first "vertiport" for eVTOL air taxi
Traffic Technology Today 26.11.2021
Skyports, the developer and operator of vertiports (landing pads for electric vertical take-off and landing vehicles - eVTOL), is deploying Europe's first test vertiport in France, which is a significant step towards launching commercial services of Advanced Air Mobility (Advanced Air Mobility - AAM) to the Olympic the 2024 Games in Paris.
The program is part of the Re.Invent Air Mobility initiative, led by the French airport operator Groupe ADP, the global mobile company RATP Group and the French agency for business and innovation Choose Paris Region.
This is the first development of its kind in Europe, supported by DGAC, the French Civil Aviation Authority, EASA and the Aviation Safety Agency of the European Union.
The Vertiport will be operated by Skyports at the Sergy-Pontoise Groupe ADP airfield in Paris, which originally served as a testing ground to provide a safe and realistic environment for Skyports and participants in the initiative to integrate and test the necessary technologies for the implementation of AAM in Europe.
"The Pontoise Airfield unites a unique ecosystem around the new air mobility, and the test platform we are launching today is unprecedented in Europe," says Augustin de Romanet, Aéroports de Paris SA - Chairman and CEO of Groupe ADP. "In Pontoise, we will test all the components of urban air mobility."
The Vertiport will be equipped with a set of technologies, including biometric identification management, equipment recharge, situational awareness capabilities and weather stations. The data collected during the testing phase will be important for the development of a regulatory framework for AAM.
The vertiport will be used by leading manufacturers of eVTOL devices, such as Volocopter, Vertical Aerospace, Airbus, Pipistrel, eHang and others, to conduct test flights and demonstrations over the next three years ahead of the 2024 Olympic Games.