Multi-Modal Mobility
Women travel differently to men. They carry out more inter-modal trips: combining several modes on one journey. Women are more likely to schedule in a stopover en-route. These kinds of insights can lead to new ideas and new opportunities in the areas of mobility-as-a-service, vehicle design and city design. Read into this intriguing insight by the World Economic Forum on how we can optimize and take advantage of urban mobility patterns to best suit both male and female urbanites.
That Calls for a Carlsberg
The Carlsberg Group has achieved a 30% reduction in relative carbon emissions at its breweries between 2015-2019, with 56% of electricity from renewable sources and a total of five carbon-neutral sites running on renewable energy only. The Group also delivered a 12% reduction in relative water consumption since 2015 and announced a major investment in water-recycling technology at its Danish brewery. Check out the company’s full sustainability highlights as it begins to reach the forefront of planet-friendly alcohol consumptions solutions.
Plastic Fantastic
Anti-plastic advocates in the UAE have welcomed Abu Dhabi’s ban of single-use plastic bags in the emirate by 2021, which was announced by the Environment Agency of Abu Dhabi (EAD) on 9th March 2020. 11 billion plastic bags are used annually in the UAE, which is the equivalent of 1,184 plastic bags per person per year compared to a global average of 307. Plastic bottles will be targeted through the introduction of a plastic bottle return deposit scheme.
All Aboard The Night Train
Night trains have returned to the tracks between Brussels and Vienna amid growing interest in alternatives to flying. The Austrian Federal Railways (ÖBB) Nightjet from Vienna pulled into Brussels Midi station exactly on schedule at 10.55am local time on a foggy morning in the Belgian capital. It is the first ÖBB night train between the two cities since 2003, as Austria’s state-railway revives its overnight network. The revival comes after authorities in Sweden announced they were considering the launch of night trains between Malmö and other European cities.
Lithium Breakthrough
A team of researchers from Australia are close to patenting a new technique to extract lithium from brine, that could revolutionize the lithium extraction process and potentially cut the production costs. The technology has a much higher recovery rate than current extraction techniques and cuts the extraction process time down to just a few hours, from several months, in current lithium extraction.
Validollid
One city in the heart of Spain has caught the eye when the topic of smart cities arises: Valladolid. An innovative city with a high level of smart city development, heritage, smart mobility, social innovation and smart governance configure a holistic approach of what a smart city really entails. Dive into this deep analysis by Intelligent Transport to find out what truly makes Valladolid a smart urban city.
Singapoor
A country commonly criticized for its lack of development in the eMobility sector, Singapore is betting on cycling as its main weapon to increase its green urban transportation. The Government plans to invest more than S$1 billion ($700m USD) in the expansion of cycling paths over the next decade as part of the new Islandwide Cycling Network Programme, with such paths expected to span 1,320km islandwide by 2030. E-scooters were banned from footpaths in November last year, with other PMDs such as hoverboards and electric unicycles to follow suit in April. But their use remains legal on the 440km of cycling paths islandwide.
Pondering Thoughts
Jump is the latest bike-share program to hit Australian streets, with trials of the Uber-backed e-bikes launched in Melbourne and Adelaide on Wednesday. It will need to up the ante if it aims to seduce the Australian public into using their bikes. Last year, the Victorian government axed the Melbourne Bike Share scheme, which was launched in 2010. The government blamed a lack of riders, saying that each bike was being used just once a day on average. Jump uses the Uber app, allowing riders in the inner-city areas where the scheme is being trialled to reserve e-bikes in their vicinity. Riders then scan the bike in the app, pay $1 to unlock it, and ride it at a cost of cents for each kilometre ridden.
The Bigger Picture
Electric cars are the future… if you believe the marketing of the big automobile companies. But, while electric cars would be a big improvement over the gasoline status quo, they wouldn’t solve most of the biggest problems created by cars. The e-scooter, the e-skateboard, and above all the e-bike have a far larger potential to revolutionize congested American cities and provide an enormous increase in health and convenience for American citizens. But it will require drastic policy changes to tap that potential.
Ultramicro
The French city of Strasbourg is set to have fresh investment in its tram network. Alstom will supply 17 additional Citadis trams, at a cost of €52m, completing the tally of total trams provided between 2003 and 2019 at 63 vehicles. 45 metres long, and capable of carrying 288 passengers, they will reinforce existing lines including Line D, which serves the city centre of Kehl in Germany.
Never Give Up
In late 2019, Dyson pulled the plug on its most ambitious project ever: an electric car that the tech company built from the ground up. Everything from the drivetrain to the windshield wiper motors, powered entirely by Dyson technology, was reported to have been largely completed. It was only in the 11th hour of the car project that he realized the truth: he couldn’t sell his electric car and cut a profit. However, just because he’s given up on electric cars doesn’t mean that he’s given up on electric transportation.
“We could get into some form of transportation: I wouldn’t doubt it at all—particularly when we have a very efficient battery.” Dyson said.
reCharge Concept
Discover this video footage of the newest concept tyre from Goodyear. The company is looking to make tyre changing easy with customized capsules that renew your tyres, and unique to you as an individual.
Electric Tractor
Video footage shows how Cellestial Mobility has developed a tractor that is 100% electric, which could help transform India’s agricultural sector. The vehicle also features battery-swap capability and can be charged at any conventional plug-socket.
