Overview
MOLECULES is a demonstration project with three large scale pilots in Barcelona, Berlin and Grand Paris aiming to use ICT services to help achieve a consistent, integrated uptake of Smart Connected Electromobility SCE) in the overall framework of an integrated environmentally friendly, sustainable mobility system.
The need to address environmental threats, global warming, increases in fuel costs as a result of supply constraints and, more recently, the worldwide financial crisis are posing huge challenges to society. These challenges are leading to major long term changes in our individual travel decisions. People, whether they are making travel decisions for themselves, or for their companies, will be much more conscious of environmental implications energy use and costs. Electric Vehicles (EV) can be an important part of the response to these challenges, but in order to become a successfully deployed option there is a need for coordination between the recharging infrastructure, the EV and the overall mobility schemas of a city or its interurban road network.
1. Enhance the EV user's experience through ICT services which will be classified in seven categories and specifically initiated in each of the three pilots.
2. Integration/interoperability of SCE with multiple electricity suppliers associated grid infrastructure: in this way, MOLECULES services will be able to roam and operate across different DSO.
3. Integration/interoperability of SCE with other transport modes associated ITS infrastructure: this will enable a smooth, seamless experience for the traveller. Furthermore, this will help complement and boost EV operational characteristics e.g. by facilitating higher speeds/longer ranged trips.
4. Promote SCE by means of incentives: incentives schemes including information services, or reduced taxes for EV. These will be devised and deployed in MOLECULES pilots in order to foster a modal shift towards electromobility.
5. Support and contribution to standards, use of open architecture: MOLECULES will follow the relevant ITS, GRID and ICT standards, and report its results into national and international electromobility and standardization bodies.
6. Execution of three large scale pilots in Barcelona, Berlin and Grand Paris: these pilots will definitely push forward the already substantial work on smart mobility and EVs that these three sites have conducted, consolidating their pioneering positions at the forefront of EU and international electromobility deployment.
7. Several types of EVs: MOLECULES services won't be limited to specific types of EVs; in fact they will be demonstrated on pedelecs, e-motorbikes, PHEV, fully EVs, electric vans, etc.
8.Pilots designed to form a scalable base for long term deployment: This will be achieved at two levels: MOLECULES pilots already consider electromobility a long-term strategy with full political and institutional backing. And, the consortium will produce a Roadmap for deployment at European level, where milestones, barriers and actions to overcome them are identified in order to make SCE a fully deployed reality within the next decade.
9. Improve decarbonisation of mobility: MOLECULES will thoroughly assess its impact in terms of CO2 emissions reduction. To that end, methodologies and tools will be developed and success targets have been defined.
10. Improve air quality: as with objective #9, the same will be done for particles emissions, as they constitute a serious threat to human health and the environment.
11. Reduce EVs total cost of owne
Setting the basis for uptake and deployment of SCE through a number of large scale pilots requires the evolution and integration of a number of diverse and innovative systems, ICT services, and mobility offers. This is needed in order to assess the effectiveness, user acceptance and operational feasibility. The user mobility experience must be enhanced whilst at the same time Greenhouse Gas emissions (GHG) are reduced. MOLECULES will adopt an implementation approach which specifies a number of ICT services categories which should set a general, common standard for what should be understood across the three sites under certain types of ICT service in the context of SCE, including for instance, the stakeholders involved, input/output data, etc. This will set a common high level language which will facilitate interaction amongst services and the cooperation across sites, both in terms of legacy ICT services and newly deployed ones. The project proposes a user-oriented strategy where the common beneficiary of most of the services is the citizen. Considering this approach, the four main elements involved in electromobility would be (i) the users, (ii) the EV, (iii) the infrastructure (transport and energy) and (iv) the authorities and operators.