Thessaloniki, Barcelona, Rome and Istanbul participate in a special “experiment”, which aims to enhance micromobility and the safe use and parking of its means, namely electric scooters.Research institutes, development companies and enterprises of the four cities are forming a joint research “front” on micromobility, within the framework of two innovative projects, “Cleanergy 4 Micromobility” and “RideSafeUM”, supported by “EIT Urban Mobility”, an initiative of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology (EIT), a European Union body.In Thessaloniki, the two projects have already begun, in early 2022, with the contribution of the Hellenic Institute of Transport (HIT) of the Centre for Research and Technology-Hellas (CERTH).
Platforms for parking and charging electric scooters
More specifically, the “Cleanergy” project focuses on the creation and pilot implementation of an innovative platform for parking and charging electric scooters, using solar energy, while offering sufficient space for the storage of personal protective equipment (e.g. helmet).The platform is the product of a partnership between the companies “Bile Communication SL”, “Solum” and “Omnitec Systems”. Within the framework of the project, pilot trials lasting five months will be carried out in Thessaloniki, Barcelona and Istanbul, in order to evaluate the effectiveness of the solution under real conditions.The pilot application in Thessaloniki focuses on the utilization of the proposed parking platforms, from electric scooters available for rent. Specifically, two innovative parking and charging platforms will be installed in central points of Thessaloniki. HIT/CERTH, the Major Development Agency of Thessaloniki (MDAT) and the company “Rise” participate in the project on behalf of Greece.
Speed limits, safe driving instructions and accident identification
The second project, entitled “RideSafeUM”, seeks to improve the level of road safety for both electric scooter users and vulnerable road users interacting with electric scooters. The project will develop a technological solution, which will be piloted in Thessaloniki, Rome and Barcelona. The technological solution consists of an application for users of electric scooters and a dashboard for local authorities.
Through the platform, the municipality will be able to place restrictions on the use of electric scooters (e.g. speed limits per type, information on where violations are detected by users or points where a high frequency of accidents is detected).The identification of accidents will be carried out on the basis of data drawn from the electric scooters. On the other hand, through the application, users will receive alerts for careful driving, when appropriate, and will be informed in real time in case they violate a restriction set by the Municipality (e.g. driving at a speed higher than predicted). HIT/CERTH, MDAT and the companies “Rise” and “Brainbox” are participating in the project on behalf of Greece.