Revolutionising transportation by improving sustainable practices and eliminating unpredictability
Transportation, especially public transport, has been one of the greatest levellers of the modern age. The means to travel has directly increased standards of living by facilitating trade, exchange and creating entirely new industries. This, however, does not mean that the industry, especially its legacy, is without its challenges. Global concerns such as climate change can, to a certain extent, be laid at the doors of the industry. Rising urban populations, accessibility, safety and security issues all exacerbate the challenges being faced by the sector.
The sector is a significant contributor to climate change which presents a major obstacle to achieving climate change reduction goals for many nations.
In the EU, a third of all final energy (in the form of oil) is consumed by transport resulting in the transportation sector being single-handedly responsible for the bulk of greenhouse gas emissions. Where other industries have been able to reduce their emissions, the contrary has been the case for transport.
Continuous investment is required in order to maintain pre-established transport networks. With budget constraints as a result of record levels of inflation, cost of living still on the rise, public transport systems have to fight for their place in order to be prioritised.
Traffic congestion is practically the expected norm in many cities across the world, overcrowded public transport in busy periods, networks slowing down or coming to a complete halt during heavy weather conditions, all of these discourage passengers who then choose to drive instead and thus further aggravating the problem.
Public transport systems still have some way to go in accommodating passengers with disabilities or limited mobility. Legacy services certainly didn’t have these considerations in mind when they were originally designed. Public transport and the travel industry have been vulnerable to headline making incidents, accidents and attacks from terrorism and cybercriminals.
There are initiatives taking place that are combining the latest technologies and tools to bring the Industrial Metaverse to the transportation sector.
Road freight is one of the hardest parts of the transport system to decarbonise. There is a pilot programme being funded by the UK Government’s Department for Transport that is looking at creating an electric road system or e-Highway. It would require the installation of overhead electric cables along motorways to power electric HGVs (eHGVs).
Much in the same way that trains and trams are connected to the national grid, these eHGVs will also be connected. Ahead of this a feasibility study that Hadean is working on in partnership with the UK’s Connected Places Catapult, to explore the requirements for an e-Highway roll-out.
Digital twin technology will be employed to create high fidelity 3D models of complex road networks. Known data about traffic levels, weather conditions and other mitigating data will be analysed and the entire system can be stress-tested under unlimited ‘what-if’ scenarios This will provide understanding of journey patterns, fluctuations in electricity due to freight demand and to assess the ways in which the National Grid has to adapt, and all before the e-Highway build begins.
