Right now, someone is travelling by bus in Porto connected to the free WiFi network provided by STCP – the Collective Transport Company of Porto. And while this gesture seems commonplace nowadays, the company behind the technology promises to play an important role in the future of autonomous vehicles.
Veniam is one of the most promising Portuguese start-ups in the future of mobility. Through innovative technology, it builds connected vehicle networks that cover cities by giving people internet access, but simultaneously turns vehicles into mobile sensors that collect massive amounts of urban data in real time. Porto, New York and Singapore are some of the smart cities that use Portuguese technology based on the concept of the internet of things… in this case moving things, trying to progressively translate this data into improving the quality of life of its citizens.
Considered by the US network CNBC as one of the most disruptive companies in the world, along with others such as Uber, it has attracted investment from the world’s largest venture capital funds and won the confidence of large manufacturers. No wonder. The ability of the Veniam platform to move huge amounts of data from vehicles, transferring them between them and the cloud, is an absolutely necessary ingredient to activate the future of mobility as a service and ultimately the operation of autonomous vehicles.
At the same time, someone in Lisbon is preparing to use eCooltra‘s electric scooter-sharing service. The recently award-winning mobile application and the sensors and actuators present on board were both developed by the CEiiA – Centre for Engineering and Product Development.
“The revolution is based on pillars such as connectivity, autonomous vehicles, sharing and services and electric propulsion, and Portuguese engineering is preparing to play an important role in each of them.”
Recognised in the automotive and aeronautical industries, the CEiiA has also been working in the area of mobility, believing that it is connected, integrated and sustainable. In this context, it has developed the mobi.me platform for integrated mobility management, serving the operational model of a broad spectrum of mobility services in a city.
Its transformative surplus value already materialises in several practical cases. In Cascais the mobi.me supports the combined access to buses, trains, shared bikes and parking. In Brazil, it supports electric mobility projects. And the ambition of the company doesn’t stop there. They’re planning the autonomization of this business and its global expansion, working towards this purpose with the support of Deloitte.
While you’re reading these lines, someone is preparing to continue on their journey to the Algarve after having charged their electric vehicle. On one of the panels of the charger, they can see the logo of a well-known brand. What many may not know is that Efacec pioneered electric mobility and is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of electric vehicle charging infrastructure, standing out as the world leader in the fast and ultra-fast charger segment.
Looking to the future, Efacec has invested in this area and recently inaugurated the expansion of its industrial unit that is dedicated to the manufacture of chargers for electric mobility. It was also announced that it was chosen by Electrify America (a subsidiary of the Volkswagen Group) to join the group of suppliers of ultra-fast charging equipment for electric vehicles, reinforcing its position in the global market.
Nowadays we somewhat already have subtle points of contact with a proclaimed revolution in the area of mobility. These are just a few examples of national companies whose value propositions have an eminently global vocation. The revolution is based on pillars such as connectivity, autonomous vehicles, sharing and services and electric propulsion, and Portuguese engineering is preparing to play an important role in each of them.
** Opinion article originally published in Fleet Magazine paper and online edition /June 2018 **
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All opinions expressed are my own and not to be associated with my employer or any other organization I am associated with.