This is the biggest benefit of connected vehicles for cities: new report

This is the biggest benefit of connected vehicles for cities: new report

Siemens’ Global Center of Competence Cities released the report – Cities in the Driving Seat — at last week’s World Cities Summit in Singapore. The greatest benefit is the opportunity for cities to plug gaps in their public transport network, for example between a train station and commuters’ homes.

‘Autonomous vehicles must be part of a wider transformation of urban areas.’- Pete Daw, Urban Development and Environment Director at the Global Center of Competence Cities

“The future of our cities could look very different with the adoption of connected and autonomous vehicles and they could help shape future trends in climate change, air quality, public health and more,” said Pete Daw, Urban Development and Environment Director at the Global Center of Competence Cities.

On-demand shuttle services could, for example, operate instead of uneconomic bus services.

Siemens claims that its own research shows that replacing four under-performing London bus routes with an on-demand e-minibus service would break even within three to four years and be profitable thereafter. As technology improves and becomes cheaper, such vehicles could be replaced with autonomous ones.

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Martin Haese, Lord Mayor of Adelaide, speaking on a launch panel for the report, said: “We are moving into an age of convergence and a changing consumer mindset in terms of how we view the role of the vehicle. The public transport system is becoming not only a means to get from A to B but also an enabling digital platform in itself.”

Connected and autonomous vehicles can also help reduce accidents (90 percent of road accidents are due to human error) and with electrification will lead to to lower greenhouse gas emissions. But the full benefits of CAV will only be realised if cities and their residents adopt the planning and foster the behavioural change that will drive impact.

read more : https://news.itu.int/connected-vehicles-cities-benefits/