“The focus in the industry to date has been on larger vertiports located at existing airports. This is the low-hanging fruit which will form the essential backbone of an Advanced Air Mobility ecosystem,” said Clem Newton-Brown, Skyportz CEO. “However, if this industry is to reach its potential we need to break the nexus between aviation and airports and let private property owners develop their own vertiports.”

On its end, Skyportz is focusing on affordable options that property developers can incorporate into new developments or retrofit into existing buildings.

“We will soon be releasing a beautiful tiny modular vertiport building that can be delivered to site in a shipping container, and assembled without heavy equipment, complete with a high-powered battery bank and charger with solar panels,” Newton-Brown added.

The Skyportz system will provide something of value from the moment of installation — the battery pack and solar panels can be hooked in to power the host building and the vertiport building can be used for other purposes while we wait for aircraft to get certified.

It is generally considered that it is too soon to get approvals for vertiport uses from Governments as the standards are still in development and nowhere in the world has anyone set out the rules and regulations (other than for display sites).

“Skyportz will be getting our network of vertiports and battery packs established now with enthusiastic property owners who will come back later for an aviation use permit. In the meantime, they will have developed sustainable power storage and a vertiport building that could be used as a cafe or meeting room”, said Newton-Brown.

Skyportz will be announcing further partners once their modular design is released later this year — including weather data, air traffic management systems, booking services, and aviation operators.

“We will offer a complete solution for property owners to activate their sites for aviation. And as a modular, fully transportable system we will be able to supply any global market with our partners at Electro.Aero”, said Newton-Brown.

On its end, Electro.Aero will be supplying its battery charging and power storage tech to support electric aviation. Their systems will be suitable for all electric air taxis, with the added bonus of providing sustainable power to the host building.

The post Two companies partner to develop a “vertiport in a box” appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

In September 2022, C40 announced that it is joining forces with urban investor NREP to launch the Green and Thriving Neighbourhoods programme and support “interdisciplinary approaches that make urban areas more sustainable, equitable and liveable.” Specifically, the parties will work on delivering proof of concept for “15-minute city” policies and on implementing neighbourhood pilot projects in at least five cities. Also, they aim to create an international network of practitioners to advise cities.

Other partners included in this project are UN-Habitat and the Pantheon-Sorbonne University’s Carlos Moreno.

According to the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), compact and resource-efficient cities, with co-location of residences and jobs, mixed land use and good access to public transportation, can help cut urban emissions by around 25%

“The 15-minute city helps to realize an ‘ecological society’ that urban residents and their leaders strive for. By promoting polycentric urban development and a thriving local lifestyle in every neighbourhood, it can help cities to reduce emissions and pollution from cars while improving quality of life,” C40 Executive Director Mark Watts said at the time of the project announcement. “This new programme will empower cities to implement the concept on the ground, and to deliver ‘green and thriving neighbourhods’ pilot projects.”

On a similar note, NREP CEO and Partner Claus Mathisen said: “As much as 60-70% of the world’s CO2 emissions come from cities, so the quest for greener urban solutions is urgent. This partnership is an opportunity to shape what a sustainable and equitable city is and to create a blueprint for urban development that will help not only cities to drive ambitious urban policies but also business and other stakeholders to engage and adapt their operational models.”

And so did Carlos Moreno, Director of Pantheon-Sorbonne University’s ETI Lab: “The 15-minute city framework can help cities to increase sustainability, inclusion and economic equity. The framework can contribute to the deep decarbonisation of cities, and it can be adapted to a variety of contexts.”

The vast majority of the world’s greenhouse gas emissions come from cities, and especially their built environment and transport systems. As urban populations continue growing, it is urgent to harness a model of low-carbon urban development that is human-scale and thriving.

On the other hand, at the heart of the city lies an opportunity – as urban density can create a greener way of living and a better quality of life through more efficient infrastructure and improved urban planning.

IPCC has stressed the importance of integrated spatial planning, and highlighted the concept of the 15-minute city in which urban life is organized so that people can access all the services they need within their immediate vicinity, and where it’s easy to walk or bike to work and stores.

The COVID-19 pandemic has galvanized discussions about the city as a system that enables residents to live more locally and sustainably. It increases the opportunity for multiple “complete neighbourhoods” that cut emissions and improve quality of life in an integrated way.

In this context, neighbourhoods provide a new focus to respond to the urgency of the global climate agenda. The neighbourhood provides an ideal scale for equitable and sustainable recovery and an opportunity to develop replicable, people-centered and net-zero approaches that can be deployed city-wide and beyond.

Also, neighbourhoods are sufficiently large to aggregate the interrelated elements that compose a city, yet small enough for tangible changes to be achieved in a relatively short period. Acting as “innovation labs,” neighbourhood projects can pioneer new policy, trial innovative partnership arrangements, consider creative ways to increase resident participation and test new technologies or solutions.

NREP adds know-how and experience from some of the world’s most sustainable large-scale development projects, including Copenhagen’s UN17 Village and Nordhavn, which has been designed around the principles of the 15-minute city. The partnership between C40 and NREP will empower cities around the world to implement ambitious net-zero “15-minute city” neighbourhoods. It will develop integrated climate actions at the neighbourhood scale that can be applied in both new and existing neighbourhoods.

The post Organizations working together on 15-minute city pilots appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

Acting as one of the latest research and development projects utilizing automotive expertise, Coventry Very Light Rail (CVLR) is part of a bigger £1.3bn travel plan that aims to provide an alternative means of transport and reduce the number of cars on the road — while easing congestion and improving air quality.

To make this happen, Coventry City Council announced in early 2023 that it is working together with Warwick Manufacturing Group at the University of Warwick, Dudley Council, Transport for West Midlands, and Black Country Innovative Manufacturing Organisation.

The first route has been planned and developed in Coventry to provide an alternative mass transport system for the city, connecting key employment locations and the city center.

CVLR will use a new innovative type of track, which has been designed specifically for use within this project. This new track design is not laid as deep as conventional railway lines — which provides a benefit when it comes to reducing the need to relocate existing utility infrastructure.

Also, CVLR will be battery-powered, thus removing the need for any overhead power cables that can be a costly setback for railway projects.

“CVLR is a critical transport project for the future as it offers rail connectivity at lower cost and with a faster build time than conventional tram systems, as well as giving our citizens yet another clean and green car alternative,” said Andy Street, mayor of the West Midlands and chair of the WMCA. “That is why we are so committed to funding and delivering the UK’s first very light rail system here in the West Midlands. With the system being developed in Dudley ahead of its use in Coventry, very light rail is also fantastic news for our regional economy and is a clear demonstration of how the West Midlands is helping to lead the way on sustainable transport.”

CVLR will also be designed to be fully autonomous, operating at a high demand level to provide a “turn-up and go” style service for passengers.

The entire project has been divided into four key areas. First comes the design, construction, and testing of a vehicle prototype. Second is the design, development, and testing of an innovative low-cost modular track. Third is the development of a design and business case for the first route in Coventry. And the fourth is the design, planning, and delivery of an operations and maintenance strategy.

The transport system has been designed with low floors, allowing passengers to embark and disembark from the pavement with ease. The ultimate goal is to provide the city with a frequent, reliable, environmentally friendly transport solution, which will cost a fraction of the cost of a traditional tram that can be found across the UK.

Testing is currently underway on a newly developed test track located at the Very Light Rail National Innovation Centre (VLRNIC) in Dudley, which has been solely created for testing the integrated system.

The post This city plans to launch a very light rail line appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

In collaboration with German provider of EV charging infrastructure EnBW, Electreon will be deploying 1 km of Electric Road System (ERS) along a stretch of road, as well as two static charging stations — which are determined based on the bus route and where the bus stops during its operational schedule.

The technology will be deployed in the city of Balingen in two phases. In the first phase, a 400-meter-long route with two static charging stations will be deployed. In the second phase, the electric road will be expanded by another 600 meters. The project will charge an electric bus en route to the city.

This project comes on the heels of a successful pilot of Electreon’s technology in the city of Karlsruhe, again in partnership with EnBW. For that pilot, an electrified road was installed at the EnBW training center — powering a local public bus at peak hours. As part of the agreement for this latest project in Balingen, Electreon will receive up to €3.2 million to deploy the dynamic and static wireless charging infrastructure.

“The project in Balingen shows how innovatively and consistently we are promoting e-mobility in Germany. We have a holistic approach and want to make wireless charging technically fit for German public transport. This also includes convincing authorities, energy network operators, bus operators, and the general public of the opportunities,” said tDr. Maximilian Arnold, who is overseeing the project at the EnBW research division. “As a leading provider and innovation driver in the field of charging infrastructure, we are pleased to be part of this promising project with partners such as Electreon, and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology.”

“The aim of this project is not only to open up wireless charging to the public in Germany,” added Dr. Andreas Wendt, CEO of Electreon Germany GmbH. “Other significant aspects include the development and use of a tool that will assist public transportation planners in where to install the inductive infrastructure for a specific town or region. We have already shown in our joint Karlsruhe project with EnBW how effective, safe, and easy to deploy wireless dynamic charging is. We hope this is the start of many more projects on public and private roads in Germany.”

Electreon Germany GmbH is a subsidiary of Israel-based Electreon Wireless, which award-winning inductive technology dynamically (while in motion) and statically (while stopped) charges EVs quickly and safely, eliminating range anxiety, lowering total costs of EV ownership, and reducing battery capacity needs. The company works with cities and fleet operators on charging as a service (CaaS) platform that enables cost-effective electrification of public, commercial, and autonomous fleets for smooth and continuous operation.

Previously, we discussed Electreon’s smart road technology being tested in Sweden.

The post This first public project for wireless charging of EVs starts in Germany appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

Called Metrolinera, it includes nine modular cabinets for recharging purposes that were placed in the Ciutadella – Vila Olímpica metro station, by the Zoo entrance, which provides access to the platforms at this Line 4 metro station.

Said cabinets act as battery-recharging points thanks to energy recovered from the braking process of metro trains. The efficient use of energy and resources generated by the metro system itself addresses the demand for recharging personal mobility vehicles, which are used by more and more people every day.

Initially, the service was launched for students at the Pompeu Fabra University (building next to the Ciutadella – Vila Olímpica station), who will be able to try it out at no cost. The general public can also access the service, in this case with a discount of 50%.

As of October 24, the promotional service period came to an end and users are able to subscribe at the full price, except for members of the JoTMBé club — who will continue to benefit from a 50% discount.

The entire initiative started as an internal challenge launched by TMBInnova among its workers. Adopting the slogan “Station of the future”, the challenge is for different teams of workers to come up with a solution to integrate leisure, connectivity, comfort and interaction at metro stations — improving the user experience for the thousands of people who use the service every day.

The post A project to recharge electric vehicles with energy recovered from the metro appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

Derq, an award-winning MIT spin-off, is looking to address burning needs in pedestrian and cyclist safety with a novel, AI-based solution. It has already been demonstrated in Florida during the first half of 2022 — in collaboration with Control Technologies, Danlaw, and CēVē.

At that time, Derq showed its ability to prevent collisions between drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists using a variety of approaches — including connected vehicle messages, flashing pedestrian signs, actuating traffic signals, and smartphone alerts. The solution also reports advanced safety insights, helping agencies better understand and improve road safety performance.

Derq’s real-time perception and connectivity AI platform ingests and aggregates data from various sources, such as traffic cameras, signal controllers, connected vehicles, smartphone apps, and other cloud-based services.

“Over the years, we’ve partnered with various leading ITS technology providers across the US and have deployed thousands of intelligent sensor-based solutions,” said Pete Ganci, VP at Control Technologies, “the Derq AI Platform is the only one on the market that we have seen capable of powering a fully integrated pedestrian and cyclist safety solution on the market, allowing vehicles, pedestrians, and cyclists to communicate with each other and the infrastructure, while also delivering real-time adaptive traffic management and reporting advanced safety analytics, such as pedestrian compliance issues and near-miss reporting.”

The Derq solution is able to detect, track, and predict the intent of pedestrians, cyclists, and vehicles as they approach crossings in real time through its AI-powered computer vision algorithms. By fusing this detection data with data ingested from traffic signal controllers, connected car messages (C-V2X), and smartphone apps – it can generate real-time alerts and set off decisions to protect pedestrians and cyclists from hazardous conflicts with vehicles.

“Driver, pedestrian, and cyclist safety are paramount to everything we do,” said Karl Jeanbart, COO of Derq. “Our proven third-party-tested solution can be deployed immediately to alert drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists about potential hazards in their environment, avoid collisions, and save lives.”

During the mentioned demonstration in Florida, several use cases were highlighted, including:

• Placing a call within a traffic signal controller to activate the desired pedestrian phase by utilizing the data generated from the fusion of passive pedestrian detection and a smartphone app.
• Activating flashing pedestrian signs (such as RRFBs) at mid-clock crossings for an approaching pedestrian by utilizing the data generated from the fusion of passive pedestrian detection and a smartphone app.
• Alerting approaching vehicles both audibly and visually of pedestrian or cyclist presence based upon a potential conflict prediction made possible by the broadcasting of C-V2X messages such as Basic Safety Messages (BSM) and Personal Safety Messages (PSM) generated by the fusion of passive pedestrian detection and a smartphone app.
• Alerting pedestrians and cyclists using a smartphone app at crossings of approaching vehicles based upon a potential conflict prediction made possible by the fusion of advanced vehicle detection and C-V2X messages (BSMs) broadcasted by the vehicle.

In addition, the platform also generated an array of real-time safety and traffic insights, such as the detection of traffic violations, pedestrian compliance issues, and road-user conflict (near-miss) data — providing up-to-date, granular data to enable the analysis of safety issues.

For the demonstration, Danlaw provided its RouteLink C-V2X Roadside Unit and AutoLink C-V2X Onboard Unit for this demonstration; while CēVē chipped in with iOS and Android apps that connect drivers, pedestrians, and cyclists to transportation infrastructure. Ultra Engineering and Precision Contracting Services (PCS) also supported the technology team during the demonstration.

The post This company’s tech aims to reduce pedestrian and cyclist fatalities appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

A total of 18 new pedestrian crossings are to have the Green Person Authority technology, which means they are programmed to show a continuous “green person” (walk) signal until traffic approaches, making it easier for people to cross the road. This move will help make the British capital’s transport network even more sustainable and support a green recovery from the coronavirus pandemic.

The number of journeys made on foot has hugely increased throughout the pandemic, with TfL data from early 2021 showing that 31% of Londoners say they are walking to places where they used to travel by a different mode, and 57% say they now go on more walks for exercise or walk for longer than they did before. At one point in 2020, the number of journeys made on foot increased from 35% of journeys to almost 50%. The new traffic signals will further enable people to travel around London this way.

A number of factors have influenced the signal locations, including high pedestrian flow, proximity to pedestrian destinations such as shopping centers, stations and schools, and suitability of existing technology. TfL continues to identify new locations where Green Person Authority crossings can be introduced, with the aim of increasing their number over the coming years.

TfL has also recently extended its Lane Rental scheme to charge for roadworks on 20 of London’s footways. A charge of £350 per day was introduced for works that impact on the busiest areas of pavement in the UK’s capital, to minimize disruption to people walking. People walking, particularly those with accessibility needs, can be badly impacted by pavements being dug up, especially at the busiest times.

The Lane Rental scheme allows TfL to charge utility companies and infrastructure providers a daily fee for digging up the busiest sections of London’s roads at the busiest times. This encourages companies to plan their works outside of the most sensitive times. All money raised from the scheme is then reinvested in initiatives and innovations designed to reduce the congestion and disruption caused by roadworks across London.

TfL research has also shown that on average people who regularly walk to the high street spend up to 40% more than people who drive.

“Walking has so many benefits – it doesn’t just enable us to get from A to B, but also improves our mental and physical health. We know that safety is a key concern for people walking around London, and giving pedestrians priority is a powerful way of putting them first and making it easier to cross London’s roads,” said Will Norman, London’s walking and cycling commissioner. “By combining this with creating extra pavement space and ensuring roadworks are carried out in a way that doesn’t disrupt Londoners, we will make our city the world’s most walkable and eradicate collisions on our streets.”

The post City installs new tech to prioritize pedestrians over cars appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

With that in mind, the Dutch startup Squad Mobility created the SQUAD Solar City Car – a two-seater that charges automatically in sunlight and has the option of swappable batteries if its charge is low.

SQUAD is, obviously, small and that helps the drivers more easily navigate the city and park anywhere. In fact, three of these vehicles fit comfortably into a single parking space. Still, SQUAD’s aluminum tubular frame and roll cage guarantee safe rides, while real-time vehicle data allows fleet operators to keep an eye on their vehicles from afar.

Moreover, there are sensors inside the vehicle that enable remote diagnosis, such as reports on the operating condition, charge levels, tire pressure, location, cleanliness, damage, and so on. SQUAD will also be equipped with cameras to check the state of the vehicles and their position in the public space, the usage by the customer, and the cause of accidents. For instance, the built-in cameras will offer the possibility for remote control of the vehicle by the operator when the SQUAD is improperly parked or blocking an exit.

Both interior and exterior are easy to clean, and broken parts are easy to replace. Recycled materials are used wherever possible. Components and construction have been optimized, making the SQUAD affordable, while guaranteeing low CAPEX and OPEX for sharing operators.

The included battery has a 100 km (62 miles) range with the mentioned automatic solar charging providing for up to an extra 20 km (12 miles) per day. Squad Mobility points out that, as the average person in Europe drives 12 km per day, this is enough on most days. The top speed is set at 45 km/h (28 mph).

“Cities are looking for zero-emission mobility solutions with a small space footprint,” said Robert Hoevers, CEO of Squad Mobility. “We have achieved both. A per capita energy consumption lower than public transport and a space footprint comparable to a bicycle. And all this, while offering the flexibility of personal transport and the comfort of a car.”

Looking down the road, Squad Mobility would like to use autonomous technology in fleet management in the city. For example, to move vehicles to places with high demand or more intense sunlight for more efficient use of the integrated solar system.

The post This solar-powered, self-charging car is made for daily urban mobility appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

With that in mind, architect Peter Kuczia designed a fancy, modular bike path called Solar Veloroute, which is a multifunctional photovoltaic (PV) pathway for bikers and pedestrians. It comprises a PV tunnel structure that serves as a solar canopy for cyclists and pedestrians, as well as a public facility where commuters can enjoy lit pathways at night and charging stations for bicycles or smartphones.

The concept is presented as a partially-enclosed rounded archway, built with superimposed non-reflective glass solar panels, attached to round tube steel purlins. This solar roof is meant to both protect cyclists and pedestrians from the sun, and produce electricity from the sun.

The PV system collects electricity generated by solar energy during the day, which can be used for on-site charging stations and lighting, while the surplus energy can be distributed for additional services. According to Kuczia, just one kilometer of Solar Veloroute structure could provide around 2000 MWh of electricity to power 750 families or to power-up more than 1,000 electric cars that travel 11,000 kilometers per year.

In addition, Kuczia has placed display panels and posters on the sides of the pathway, to — for instance — provide information about the benefits of using solar power on a global scale.

As of the end of 2021, the project has been created for districts in Switzerland and Dubai but can be adapted to any location and climatic zone. The structure is completely adjustable, and the number of rows of panels, the distance between modules, as well as their inclination can be flexibly altered to respond to local conditions.

The post This pathway for bikes and pedestrians can generate energy for charging stations appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.

That’s what Passport – a Charlotte, North Carolina-based company is all about. It has developed a technology that promises “more efficient streets and sidewalks.” That technology comes in the form of an end-to-end digital platform for managing mobile pay parking, digital enforcement and permitting, and mobility management.

Cities trust Passport’s platform to provide them with real-time mobility data to make transactions at the curb easy and accessible. In that sense, the solution serves as a” strategic, decision-making system” that provides a single source of truth for data, analytics and insights, and is a tool that can be used to develop, implement and manage policy.

Specifically, Passport’s platform:

• Uses one system to manage rules, rates, and restrictions for all parking partners
• Improves customer experience and drives equity with digital payments
• Boosts payment compliance for parking
• Digitizes revenue and reduce hardware costs
• Future proofs for innovation

In addition to providing its clients with the technology, Passport also helps with launch and marketing strategies — which have been derived from launching hundreds of successful apps.

As of December 2021, Passport’s platform is used by more than 1,000 cities, universities and agencies — including Chicago, Toronto, Los Angeles, and Miami. Since its founding, the company has processed more than $2 billion in mobility payments.

As of May 2021, Passport has raised more than $200 million in venture funding.

The post A platform that promises more efficient streets and sidewalks appeared first on Sustainable Avenue.