3 minute read
Operation: future mobility
Automated and connected driving will radically change the world of mobility. For better or worse, automated and connected vehicles will depend on the ‘intelligence’ of transportation technologies that have already been implemented
Words | Daniel Hobohm, Siemens, Germany
Today, self-driving vehicles (SDV) may seem magical to many people, but they could a become reality faster than we expect. Not least because for the car industry, SDVs promise to be the biggest game changer since the Ford Model T. Many expect self-driving taxis to quickly replace driver-conducted taxis – simply because they do not ask for a salary. In the process, they will most likely also become cheaper and more convenient than most public transport services. Already today, Uber, Lyft and Gett collect and drop off customers in many major US cities.
Meanwhile, the number of traffic deaths is rising. In the first six months of 2017, Germany counted 6.2% more road fatalities than in the years before. Worldwide, traffic kills more people than wars and terrorist attacks combined. Self-driving cars can react much faster than humans and they have permanent 360° vision. Visionary cities have recognized that SDVs have the potential to be more attentive than humans, and see it as their responsibility – and opportunity – to support their development. These visionary cities are starting to manage traffic holistically, taking both the citizen’s perspective and the city’s budget into account.
The cities focus on three key goals. Firstly, autonomous cars must also be connected cars, in order to facilitate traffic management and guidance. Connectivity is available already today, enabling bidirectional communications between transportation
infrastructure and vehicles, as well as between different vehicles. This makes driving safer and more efficient, and helps to reduce environmental damage.
Secondly, traffic is generally a mixture of different fleets, each with specific needs and subject to specific regulations. If self-driving delivery fleets threaten to swamp our streets, why not use car-to-everything (Car2X) technology for usage-based road charging, or to create incentives for switching to night-time deliveries? Public transit vehicles are just as important – and many modern cities have already implemented measures to make them more attractive, including traffic signal prioritization and integrating public transit vehicles into city traffic management. Bicycles continue to grow in importance as a means of locomotion and smart cities are supporting this development by creating bike highways or eBike-sharing stations.
Thirdly, tomorrow’s cities are going to focus on citizens’ needs – with platforms that enable optimized intermodal travel on road and rail. Today, these platforms still serve as a source of information, but soon they will also offer their users convenient ways of calling their desired means of transport.
The portfolio of Siemens ITS reflects this focus. On one hand, it supports city managers in making life as enjoyable for their citizens as possible. On the other hand, it provides operators of private fleets with advanced solutions for their innovative concepts.
At the show
At Intertraffic Amsterdam 2018, the Siemens stand offers visitors a fascinating look into the future of traffic engineering – on the basis of products that are already available today. The company’s showcase includes: an overview of the latest state of technology in the Car2X field; best-in-class systems for advanced traffic management, as well as the world’s biggest cloud-based traffic infrastructure platform, smartGuard; the latest generation of traffic controllers, called sX, which has advanced functions like remote access and maintenance and a web-based GUI – and can be perfectly combined with groundbreaking digital 1-Watt technology and revolutionary detector systems; integrated safety and security systems for tunnels and bridges, or strategic communication solution Canto 3S (safety, security, system); efficient fleet management tools, such as the award-winning Stream prioritization system for buses and emergency vehicles, and a new eBike sharing solution on the basis of big data analyses; the innovative SiBike app, which enables coordinated green phases for cyclists; and pioneering solutions for the smooth coordination of logistics fleets, developed in cooperation with customers such as Duisport or ThyssenKrupp.
In addition, for the first time ever, the Siemens stand will present smart systems for intermodal travel information developed by the new Siemens subsidiary HaCon. This young company, and a number of startups, can use the Innovation Corner, powered by next47, the Siemens technology incubator, as a forum for getting their message out. These newcomers may be the big players of tomorrow – and tomorrow will be here faster than we think. n
Opposite: New
technologies are improving the ways in which we travel, including public transit
Left: Products from
