21.06.2021
United Kingdom, Intelligent Transport
The Ministry of Transport of Great Britain allocates 20 million pounds for the winners of the competition for the design of electric vehicles
Transport Minister Grant Shapps has announced a £20 million funding increase for the winners of an electric vehicle research and development competition ahead of the COP26 climate conference to be held in Glasgow later this year.
Among the winning projects are an on-board plug–in device that provides drivers with data on the physical condition of the battery to simplify the purchase of used electric vehicles, a kinetic battery that will provide a temporary increase in power for charging ultrafast electric vehicles of the next generation and a zero-emission ambulance powered by hydrogen.
The funding provided to 62 innovative technologies for electric vehicles could eliminate some of the biggest challenges of electric vehicle operation by providing solutions to ensure the serviceability of batteries and their charging in both urban and rural areas.
To support the transition to zero-emission electric vehicles, charging stations must be easy to use, affordable and integrated into existing street infrastructure.
The Department for Transport (DfT) has also launched a project to develop a "British design" for charging stations that could make them as recognizable as red mailboxes and telephone booths. The results of the project will be presented at the COP26 conference in Glasgow in November this year.
https://www.intelligenttransport.com/transport-news/126117/ev-design-contest/
21.06.2021
United Kingdom, T raffictechnologytoday
Tests of real-time unmanned traffic control (UTM) in the UK have been completed.
Connected Places Catapult has published a new report on the results of operational tests of unmanned traffic control (UTM). The report is the result of a three-year project sponsored by the Ministry of Transport (DfT) working together with industry partners; NATS, Altitude Angel, ANRA Technologies, Cranfield University, Catapult, Thales UK, WING, GE (AiRXOS), Collins Aerospace and Skylift.
As a result of this program, the UK is at the forefront of UTM innovation and is one step closer to securing UTM commercial operations in its airspace. The UTM Framework program as a starting point will allow projects, including those funded through UK Research and Innovation's (UKRI) Future Flight Challenge, to develop current developments and accelerate future progress in the field of UTM.
The introduction of UAVs, also known as drones, can bring significant economic benefits due to a number of new applications and business models. UTM will be required to ensure the safe daily coordination of UAV operations as the transition to automated operations beyond the line of sight (BVLOS) takes place.
"This project laid the foundation for the deployment of UTM platforms in the country," said Mark Westwood, technical director of Connected Places Catapult. "Through collaboration with industry stakeholders, the tests demonstrated how UTM supports multiple UAV operations under real-world operating conditions. Connected Places Catapult is proud of the fact that it is at the forefront of such a comprehensive project that determines the development of commercial use of UAVs in the UK."
27.06.2020
India
Construction of the first "green and safe highway", The Print
Last December, the Government of India signed a $500 million project agreement with the World Bank to develop a 781 km National Highway Green Corridor (GNHCP) in four states – Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh and Andhra Pradesh. The plan is to build six "green and safe national highways", which will be divided into 23 sections, within the corridor. The entire project is expected to be completed by the end of the 2023-2024 fiscal year.
The total cost of the project was estimated at approximately Rs 7,662 crore, of which the World Bank contributes Rs 3,500 crore.
It is expected that the first section of the green highway under construction in as part of the GNHCP project, it will be completed by December 2021
Compared to a conventional highway, the "green highway" uses more environmentally friendly building materials. This includes the use of local materials, soil stabilization to reduce the need for crushed stone, the use of waste such as ash, the disposal of asphalt and granular sidewalks, bioengineering solutions, methods of conservation and collection of water, the design of resistance to the effects of climate change and solar lighting.
The project is controlled directly by the Ministry of Transport of India and the World Bank.