From 16 to 20 September 2024, eCharge4Drivers took centre stage at the ITS World Congress 2024, showcasing innovative electric vehicle (EV) charging solutions to the global ITS community. We actively participated in two Special Interest Sessions (SIS), one Technical Paper (TP) session, and had a presence stand at the ERTICO booth, where visitors could explore our solutions. This international event was the perfect opportunity to highlight our user-friendly EV charging solutions for more sustainable mobility.
We started on Tuesday 17 September with a presentation at the ERTICO stand, where eCharge4Drivers was displayed for the duration of the congress, giving attendees a chance to have closer look at our EV charging solutions. Andrew Winder from our partner ERTICO and Evangelia Portouli from our Coordinator ICCS/I-SENSE Group introduced eCharge4Drivers and provided an overview of our main objectives and activities to develop more convenient charging options for EV drivers, such as battery sharing for light electric vehicles and advance charging authentication through the Plug&Charge technology.
The third day of the congress saw a paper presentation during TP 10 “Infrastructure for clean mobility” by Michele Roccotelli from Politecnico di Bari. He delivered a presentation focused on “Enhancing EV user experience in eCharge4Drivers project: the case of the metropolitan city of Bari”, examining how the project’s tools, such as the enhanced booking system and route planner, along with incentives, are transforming the user experience and enabling better exploitation of the public charging network. This makes EV charging more convenient and accessible for drivers in urban areas, such as Bari.
During SIS 53 “How to Find, Book, and Pay for EV Charging? – Success Stories and Opportunities,” organised by Andrew Winder from ERTICO, Christina Anagnostopoulou from ICCS focused her presentation on the user-centric and interoperable aspect of the eCharge4Drivers solutions. Her presentation highlighted the seamless integration of our charging services designed to enhance the EV user experience and accessibility, such as Plug&Charge, booking and routing services, and a charge point location tool. She also highlighted the introduction of new business models such as Battery as a service (BaaS) developed by the project. This session, moderated by Geli Latsa (ICCS), brought together leading voices in the industry who shared perspective on EV charging in their respective countries, including Ragnhild Wahl from ITS Norway, Donal Hodgins from ITS Nationals, and Richard B. Easley from ITS Canada. Together, they explored the current challenges and successes in building a comprehensive and accessible EV charging network.
On the final day, Andrew Winder took part in SIS 94 “Government EV charging strategies and plans – are we doing the right things?”. He presented the first outcomes from the interviews conducted in various European cities regarding local EV regulations, highlighting cities’ needs and how city-level policies are influencing the deployment of EV infrastructure and the user experience, helping to identify regulatory gaps and accelerate electric vehicle adoption. Moderated by Lone-Eirin Lervåg from ITS Norway, the session included experts such as Martin Russ (AustriaTech), Janneke van der Zee (ITS Canada), Timothy Drake (ITS America), and Donal Hodgins (ITS Nationals Network), providing a comprehensive view of the intersection between energy, transport, and ITS in driving sustainable mobility initiatives, and how governments are shaping policy and developing the infrastructure to promote the shift to electric mobility.
Our presence at the ITS World Congress 2024 reinforced our commitment to developing an efficient and user-centred EV charging network, supporting the broader shift toward sustainable mobility across Europe.