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The EPN Consulting Newsletter - 073 - September 2016
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Dear Colleague,
During the '90s car makers weren't used to disclose how much ICT was involved in their products as they believed that customers could think cars were not as reliable as they thought. It was that period when the CTRL+ALT+DEL procedure to reboot Microsoft PCs was one of the jokes circulating worldwide (in comparison with the better stability of Apple computers) and they didn't like that the same could apply to cars.
In the '00s some technology was mentioned to show that vehicles were technologically advanced and prepared to support eco-friendliness. An example was provided by Fiat when launched the new 500 in 2007. One of the innovations claimed was the car was able to record driving style, fuel consumption, average speed, etc. and after each journey the customer could download with a USB-memory stick all these data and transfer them onto their PCs and have driving profile built up.
During this decade, when the concept of "connected vehicles" has become very familiar worldwide, advertising the presence of high-level technology is a must. That's why, after Ford and Volkswagen showed how their cars are able to park themselves in the street, BMW and Mercedes are very proud to advertise their cars could be parked by using a smartphone app.
While self-driving vehicles from Google have been populating newspapers, magazines and blogs since a while, Uber is now thinking about taking the same route. In Singapore the world's first self-driving taxi is being travelling around. In Helsinki self-driving buses are being roaming the streets (read below).
All these facts demonstrate that, differently from the past, today the more technology is included in a vehicle - and properly advertised, the better.
One technological paradox is evident though. When bulbs/leds/etc. of recent cars headlights go off, it is quite common that one has to go to a car maintenance workshop to replace them because headlights have become so technologically complicated (and expensive!) and installed in such odd ways that only specialised technicians are able to intervene.
This is not user-friendly at all.
Founder, CEO
You receive this newsletter because you have been in touch directly or indirectly with EPN Consulting and/or its Founder & CEO. Please be assured that all your data stored in our systems will never be given away/sold/disclosed as EPN Consulting enforces a strict privacy policy.
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Horizon 2020 & other calls close to deadline
29 Sept 2016 - No. 13 Deadlines to submit proposals to Horizon 2020 calls
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Second phase of World's biggest Offshore Windfarm gets go-ahead
16 Aug 2016 - Plans for the world's biggest offshore windfarm off the Yorkshire coast (UK) are to be expanded to an area five times the size of Hull after being approved by ministers.
The multibillion-pound Hornsea Project Two would see 300 turbines - each taller than the Gherkin - span more than 480 sq km in the North Sea. Fifty-five miles (88.5 kms) off the coast of Grimsby, the project by Denmark's Dong Energy is expected to deliver 1,800MW of low-CO2 electricity to 1.8m UK homes. Scotland's wind turbines cover all its electricity needs for a day.
The development would represent a large boost to the UK's wind energy industry, with Dong Energy pledging to invest £6bn (€7bn) in the UK and create more than 2,500 jobs. However, the company has yet to make a final investment decision on Hornsea Project Two and a spokesman said it could be two years before it is signed off.
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Future of Urban Mobility according to Airbus Group
18 Aug 2016 - Rush-hour traffic is unbearable for many commuters today and the problem is growing. By 2030, 60% of the world's population will live in cities, which is 10% more than today.
A study found that Londoners lose the equivalent of 35 working days per year idling in traffic. The situation is even worse in cities such as Mumbai, Manila, or Tokyo.
To address this rising concern, Airbus Group is harnessing its experience to make the dream of all commuters and travellers come true one day: to fly over traffic jams at the push of a button with Vahana, an autonomous flying vehicle platform for individual passenger and cargo transport.
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Self-driving Buses are roaming the Streets of Helsinki
18 Aug 2016 - Two self-driving minibuses began plying the roads of Helsinki (FI) in real traffic conditions. The small electric buses were developed by EasyMile, a French company, and can transport up to nine passengers.
They are able to travel at speeds of up to 25 miles per hour, although they are restricted to seven miles per hour during their trial period. The buses are being used to move passengers between two busy public transit stations in the city's waterfront Hernesaari district. A driver is stationed on board in case of an emergency.
The project is part of Helsinki's ambitious plan to make car ownership in the city obsolete within a decade. The city already has a very efficient public transport system, but it is also developing an on-demand mobility program, which would allow people to use integrated mobile apps to book and pay for any trip by bus, train, taxi, bicycle and car sharing.
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Factory Machines to heat Homes under huge Green Networks Plan
28 Aug 2016 - Hundreds of thousands of homes are to be heated using warmth generated by Industrial Machinery, Geo-thermal Energy and even Tube trains, under government-backed plans for a major expansion of "heat networks".
More than a third of local authorities in England and Wales are now working on new schemes that transport heat from one source through pipes to hundreds of homes or businesses. About four in five homes are currently heated by gas-fired boilers but they will have to be replaced by greener forms of heating if Britain is to hit its climate change targets, which require carbon emissions to be slashed by 2050. |
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Alphabet expands Car-pooling project, casting shadow on Uber
30 Aug 2016 - Alphabet, the parent company of Google, is broadening the scope of a car-pooling program that could challenge ride-hailing services like Uber and Lyft.
The pilot program, operated by through Google's navigation app Waze, is limited to employees of companies near Google's HQ in Mountain Cliff (Califonia, USA).
Unlike ride services that summon drivers immediately, Waze suggests calling for a ride a few hours in advance.
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State of the Union 2016: EC paves the way for more and better Internet connectivity
14 Sept 2016 - "We need to be connected. Our economy needs it. People need it. And we have to invest in that connectivity now". - President Juncker, State of the Union 2016.
On the occasion of President Juncker's 2016 State of the Union address, the Commission proposed an ambitious overhaul of EU telecoms rules with new initiatives to meet Europeans' growing connectivity needs and boost Europe's competitiveness. These proposals will encourage investment in very high-capacity networks and accelerate public access to Wi-Fi for Europeans.
To meet these challenges and prepare Europe's digital future, the Commission put forward three strategic connectivity objectives for 2025:
1. All main socio-economic drivers, such as schools, universities, research centres, transport hubs, all providers of public services such as hospitals and administrations, and enterprises relying on digital technologies, should have access to extremely high connectivity (allowing users to download/upload 1 Gb/s).
2. All European households, rural or urban, should have access to connectivity offering a download speed of at least 100 Mb/s, which can be upgraded to Gb/s.
3. All urban areas as well as major roads and railways should have uninterrupted 5G coverage. As an interim target, 5G should be commercially available in at least one major city in each EU Member State by 2020.
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EPN Consulting News
The authors are Stefano Mainero, EPN Consulting CEO and Giles K Bailey, Managing Director of the London-based consultancy Stratageeb Ltd.
The two managers joined forces to provide UK local authorities with a hint of what Brexit could mean from the viewpoint of EU funding and EU professional collaborations. As a matter of fact, once the Brexit procedure will be achieved, if sensible agreements won't be reached before, the UK will miss a huge amount of European money and networking opportunities that in the past years allowed UK companies and Universities to stand out in the European scenario.
EPN Consulting and Stratageeb are happy to assist local authorities in the UK in assessing their current and future plans and advise on the best routes to take.
EPN Consulting will be on the go in the next days taking part in a number of events:
22 Sept 2016 - Brussels - Big Data for Transport workshop
23 Sept 2016 - Brussels - Horizon 2020 Smart Cites and Communities Info Day
26-27 Sep 2016 - London - Erasmus Plus S.T.R.E.E.T. Project Meeting
28 Sept 2016 - Brussels - Horizon 2020 Smart, Green and Integrated Transport Info Day
29 Sept 2016 - London - Disruptive Technologies 2016 conference
Please be in touch if you plan to attend some of these events.
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Upcoming Professional Events in Europe
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The Website of the Month:
On 16 Sept. the European Commission launched the 15th annual EUROPEAN MOBILITY WEEK, with activities taking place across Europe from 16 to 22 September.
The theme of this year is 'Smart and sustainable mobility - an investment for Europe'. The main aim is to promote awareness of the economic benefits of investing in safe, clean transport for people and companies. Making energy and transport more affordable and sustainable is also one of the priorities of the Juncker Commission.
Action in cities is particularly important as Urban Transport is responsible for 23% of the EU's GreenHouse Gas (GHG) emissions. As in previous years, local authorities and individuals across the continent are encouraged to think about what they can do locally, to make an impact globally.
Speaking at the launch, Violeta Bulc, European Commissioner for Transport said: "This week is about getting individuals and local authorities big and small - on board. We are moving towards Smart Mobility, by integrating technology into transport. Smart Mobility can reduce traffic jams in European cities and help cut the €100 billion congestion price-tag, making our cities more liveable!".
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The EPN Consulting Galaxy
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EPN Consulting
Based in London. Engaged with Europe. |
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