Page 13 - European Energy Innovation - summer 2019 publication
P. 13
Summer 2019 European Energy Innovation 13
THE E-MOBILITY REVOLUTION
Milan has shown leadership in citizens are given a full choice of innovative solutions like these.
thinking differently about cars. It mobility options, while also working Across Europe, there are many such
recently began piloting an e-car towards wider societal goals such promising city-led business models,
sharing scheme, which will gather as better social inclusion, health and and further efforts should be made
data to better understand how such wellbeing and energy efficiency. With to publicise and disseminate the
a project would best work on a this in mind, e-mobility options need findings of research and innovation
larger scale. The city is also testing a to be flexible and integrated across projects – both EU-funded and
sustainable last mile delivery service the public transport network. otherwise – that could then be
until December 2020 in a bid to adopted by other cities or help
create a low energy city district and Innovating for a sustainable future shape national and European level
meet its climate commitments. As we move towards ever smarter legislation.
cities, technological advancements
Lisbon, another member of the are only part of the solution. To Revolutions take planning, or at
Sharing Cities project, has a long encourage innovation, and thus least plotting, and we need to plot
tradition of making use of renewable promote the emergence and a course to deliver sustainable
energy. It has already installed many development of new public services, mobility within Europe. E-mobility
EV charging stations around the city cities are increasingly having to create comes with its own set of challenges
to encourage the use of electric new business models. This needs to and opportunities, but by sharing
cars. However, when we talk about be thought out over the long term knowledge through networks like
e-mobility, the source of energy is and often involves working with EUROCITIES and working with
also an important aspect. Cities can private partners. As such, sustainable different partners, we can find the
do their bit, but this needs to be financing and understanding end user right solutions. A sustainable future
supported by an enabling framework behaviour are crucial to the success is within sight. Now bring me that
at national and European levels that of a project. horizon. l
supports the switch to renewable
energy sources. London’s biking scheme is 100%
publicly owned, which allows for
In the meantime, cities can look at better data management – in order to
where we can already act today. ensure things like better road safety –
Upgrading our bus fleets is one and, as it generates revenue, the city
obvious area. Paris has ordered 800 is able to reinvest this money into
electric buses to fight air pollution in the service.
the city: the biggest bus purchase of
its kind in Europe. And Cologne has Following a citizen-focussed planning EUROCITIES is the
committed to having a fully electric process, Budapest is trialling a political platform for
bus fleet by 2030. mobility point in its St. Gellert major European cities.
neighbourhood, which brings together We network the local
Many cities, like Belfast, are turning several modes of transport and governments of over 140 of
to hydrogen as a source for their mobility services in one location, Europe’s largest cities and
sustainable mobility needs. encouraging multimodality and more more than 40 partner cities
active lifestyles. Because having low- that between them govern
Of course, cities are not the only emission vehicles was important to some 130 million citizens
purveyors of urban mobility and the city authority, this trial includes across 39 countries.
many private companies are also e-vehicles. By testing this and other www.eurocities.eu
getting in on the act. This sometimes initiatives in its Cities-4-People
complicates the cohesion of local project, the city is also gaining
mobility, with e-scooters proving a experience in collaborating with
headache for some. That’s because, micromobility providers.
as cities, we work in an integrated
way and we want to ensure that Cities are the right size for testing
www.europeanenergyinnovation.eu
