Imagine a city where delivery robots and electric buses talk to each other via a super-fast private network to avoid traffic. It's like upgrading a city's circulatory system from old pipes to a smart, digital grid. The goal is to make moving people and goods across town completely carbon-free and effortless.
Cities struggle with high greenhouse gas emissions and congestion due to inefficient, fossil-fuel-based transport. There is a lack of integrated, cost-effective systems that combine electrification and automation for both people and freight.
A suite of 27 mobility solutions including a private 5G network, autonomous electric buses, AGVs for freight, and a hydrogen refuelling station.
If you are a freight fleet operator dealing with high urban emissions and congestion — this project developed automated guided vehicles (AGVs) for freight transport that reduce the carbon footprint of last-mile delivery. This allows for more efficient, driverless movement of goods in commercial hubs.
If you are a municipal transport authority dealing with outdated diesel fleets — this project deployed 329 e-buses and 10 hydrogen buses, including a hydrogen refuelling station. This provides a proven blueprint for transitioning a city's entire bus fleet to zero emissions.
If you are a 5G provider dealing with connectivity gaps for autonomous vehicles — this project established a stand-alone 5G private mobile network to support CCAM connectivity. This demonstrates how to build the dedicated digital infrastructure needed for safe, autonomous urban driving.
Based on available project data, specific pricing is not provided, but the project aims to prove that these solutions are cost-effective for cities to implement.
The solutions are being piloted at a large scale in Madrid and Dresden, including the full electrification of 329 e-buses and the use of 11 pilot projects.
Based on available project data, there is no mention of specific patents or licensing terms; the project focuses on demonstration and transfer to replication cities.
The project developed a Distributed Smart Grid for Eco Transportation and a Digital Twin for power grid flexibility to manage the energy needs of electric fleets.
The project runs from 2024 to 2028, with the intent to transfer solutions from lead cities to five replication cities including Espoo, Ioannina, Gdańsk, Trenčín, and Sarajevo.
The consortium is heavily weighted toward practical application, with 11 industry partners (38% ratio) and 11 'other' entities, likely municipal bodies. With 29 partners across 9 countries, the group balances academic research (3 universities, 4 research centers) with the operational capacity of SMEs and large enterprises to deploy hardware like hydrogen stations and 5G networks.
Contact FUNDACION CARTIF in Spain for technical specifications on the UT-Labs and AGV pilots.
Contact SciTransfer to connect with the 5G and autonomous vehicle partners in this consortium.
