Smart charging offers improved grid capabilities and conscious energy consumption. Learn more

Being an eMobility leader in various projects across multiple startups, Piotr was responsible for OCPI and OCPP integration as well as EMP and CPO platforms development. With extensive expertise in the open standards field and eMobility tech solutions, he is leading teams of experienced developers and contributing with invaluable knowledge and experience.

Piotr Majcher

 you can find information about the potential of charging stations and learn what smart charging is. In a nutshell, it applies to efficient communication between entities related to the consumption, supply and flow of energy. The software behind the platform automatically analyzes and visualizes a mass of data in real-time. One of the uses is for automatic decisions about how and when EVs are charged. Efficient energy management can be used to monitor how an electric car is being charged, among other things, but over time it will become an essential feature of any system that wants to work both economically and cooperatively. It is anticipated that as more and more EVs emerge, the load on the electrical grid will require a well-tailored communication system and the implementation of protocols responsible for smart charging.


What is the difference between smart charging and bi-directional charging?

Bi-directional charging can refer to vehicle-to-grid (V2G) charging. This could also apply to the terms like vehicle-to-home (V2H), or vehicle-to-building (V2B). The feature is responsible not only for charging an EV but also can supply power back to the grid (or home). Effectively it enables to treat car battery as an extra source of charging power, storing energy that can be re-used.

Smart charging goes one step further, enables efficient communication between charge points and grid operators. All in order to manage charging points remotely and to optimize energy consumption and costs. By 2030 it is expected to have smart charging protocols developed and implemented, to avoid network overload. Smart charging allows EV owners, businesses, and network operators to control how much energy is taken from the grid and when. By balancing the load, it also offers to charge at lower rates, when the demand for energy is lower, e.g. at night.

How does bi-directional charging work in practice?

To charge an EV, one needs a charger to convert AC (alternating current) electricity sourced from the grid to DC (direct current) electricity. This happens via a built-in converter (either vehicle or in the charger). If the energy stored in the EV’s battery is to power home or sell it back to the grid, the DC electricity from the car must be converted again to AC electricity. This mechanism happens via bi-directional charging. The feature is already adapted in the US, UK, and EU. It is used to power houses, office buildings. How much power do we talk about? Nissan says the 62kWh battery in the Leaf e+ can store enough energy to power an average Japanese home for up to four days.

Do all vehicles support bi-directional charging?

No. A CHAdeMO protocol & charge port facilitates bi-directional charging, (e.g. Nissan Leaf is equipped with CHAdeMO). However, most vehicles use the Combined Charging System (CCS) standard right now. Existing models will probably require V2G integration as an aftermarket resolution. Many car manufacturers, such as BMW, Honda, Volkswagen, and Tesla, are considering introducing bi-directional features in their future electric vehicle models.

E.g. According to the information provided by Nissan, two-way charging does not have a damaging long-term influence on the battery because charging and discharging are less intense than driving. Bi-directional charging does not affect the producer's battery warranty as long as the charger used is approved for use by the manufacturer.

What are the most popular features of smart charging?

Among features smart charging provides, one can distinguish power sharing, power boost and dynamic power sharing. Each is relevant to the ecosystem and to individual actors.

 in 2020 by Cenex found that the common pattern for V2G of creating income through energy trading is only one of the opportunities. Other key value propositions highlighted are resilience, the benefits to society, enhanced battery management and self sufficiency.

 can be defined as load balancing or leveling. How does it work? Each site is limited when it comes to power access. Bigger demand for energy would mean electrical infrastructure upgrades. Smart charging allows avoiding these expenses. Network operators or sites with many chargers can divide the available energy capacity proportionally over all operating EV charging stations. Optimal distribution with smart charging helps to avoid costly expenses.

 prevents households from surpassing maximum energy capacity. Power Boost comes with help to the situation when electricity is consumed simultaneously on a high level by many devices. It balances the load dynamically among the charger and the rest of the devices. When reaching the highest capacity, a smart charging control system automatically reduces the power consumed by an EV. The case scenario even includes pausing the charging session till enough power is available again.

With Dynamic Power Sharing (DPS) a building’s energy demand is monitored and measured against its maximum admissible capacity. When demand is low, the spare available energy is transferred to the charging network. The smart charging system automatically covers the available power among all chargers. On the contrary, if the site energy demand is equal or larger than the maximum authorized rate, no power is supplied to the charging points. Smart management allows keeping in great balance the charging network’s demand.

To cover and support unified communication, Open Charge Alliance developed in 2015 Open Smart Charging Protocol (OSCP). An updated version was released in October 2020. The protocol was first designed for communicating a forecast of the locally available capacity to Charging Station Operators (CSO), to enable them to fit the charging profiles of the EVs within the boundaries of the available capacity. The new version specifies use cases in which the messages are applied in more universal terms, which was specifically aimed at smart charging of EV by a Distribution System Operator (DSO). Behind the use of generic terms is the specification not limiting the possibilities of the protocol to smart charging EVs. This is a top-down integration of EVs in larger energy ecosystems, including Photovoltaics (PV), stationary batteries, heat pumps and other devices. Based on JSON / REST, offers also additional types of forecasts (generation, consumption, fallback) and a message for reporting errors. The OSCP is available to download at the Open Charge Alliance 

As we see bigger demand for conscious energy consumption and distribution, features and smart charging protocols soon will become a necessity. The multi-level changes we are witnessing dictate sustainable and smart energy distribution. Open standards and dedicated protocols are essential for unified communications, and it is expected that soon implementation will be legally binding for market participants.

Smart charging offers improved grid capabilities and conscious energy consumption. Discover what technology offers today.

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Ebook - The Growing concept of e-Mobility

Discover smart use of time and energy for e-mobility

Paweł Baczyński

The basic approach of e-mobility charging infrastructure applies to the use of charging stations for EVs recharge. As a simplified model, it is to provide services for owners of electric cars. However, the use and the purpose of a formed sort of electric grid can go beyond. What are the possible and optimal charging infrastructure solutions? And what is the role of smart electric mobility in achieving sustainable growth?

Factors such as political, social and environmental, contribute to fast e-mobility growth, hence the charging points communication role changes. In the primarily applied charge ecosystem, the information exchange took place between eMobility Service Providers and Charge Point Operators, and Grid Operators. The relation varies depending on the business model applied. Time (or speed of charging) and location influence the user experience, and economic optimization.

Understanding EV Owners’ Preferences Towards Enrolling in Smart Charging Programs

 published in June 2020, shows that nearly 70% of respondents demonstrated a high interest in the EV purchase. Additionally, 56% of EV owners consider an EV to be their next vehicle purchase. The growing interest in EV ownership is driven by various incentives and policies. As of 2020, the growth in the share of new electric vehicles in the passenger vehicle market has accelerated remarkably. Especially in Europe, a +137% jump in electric car sales was recorded at the end of 2020.

The growing number of electric vehicles means there is a demand for a well-planned, flexible, and diverse network. At the same time, operators need to scale, provide the service and meet the expectations of EV owners. Following this, the network needs a guaranteed energy supply, especially when there is increased demand. Consequently, the entire system must be well communicated and engineered, to reconcile the peaks of energy demand with limited capacity.

Still, the mentioned ecosystem is not limited and with the growth new players and users will join. For instance, it’s worth mentioning environmental aspects and green energy supplies (and possibly storage). In an effort to meet challenges, the idea of an integrated architecture has been developed, which supports the efficient use of energy flows and optimum market service. All this in a unified communication system.

Global EV Outlook predicts that in 2030 in Europe, in the Stated Policies Scenario, the energy demand for EV fleets will grow by 4% (110 TWh). However, the Sustainable Policies Scenario predicts an increased energy demand for electric fleets - up to 6% (187TWh). High peaks are expected at evenings and nights, but in general, global energy demand will rise. To streamline the communication of key domains in the ecosystem (energy supplies, established and expanding charging network and e-mobility services), the information flow should run via an open protocol.

Higher energy demand at certain times means not only intensified production but also agile energy distribution. In a nutshell, Smart Charging enables intelligent management of the energy and how the electric vehicle is charged when connected to the grid.

Although higher demand for electricity is not expected to happen before 2030 (according to European Environment Agency’s predictions), still locally grids might be overloaded on high peaks. With efficient use of EVs and charging infrastructure, smart charging comes to help to provide greater network stability without unnecessary expenses.

EU directive 2012/27/EU on energy efficiency describes smart metering systems. The inclusion of smart charging sets top-down endorsement for the development of data exchange systems and in the future standardized and open communication. The use of smart charging implies connecting an EV to a charging device through a data connection, and the charging device to a charging operator through another data connection.

Smart Charging applies to ‘intelligent’ communication between the charging system, grid and a charged object (here particularly we have in mind an EV, but also this could apply to any chargeable item). Taking an EV as an example, the term ‘smart charging’ means the charging device is ‘communicating’ with the car, the charging operator and the service company links through data. Each time an EV is plugged in, the charger exchanges information to optimize charging.

So, via smart charging the charging service providers (this applies to smart home charging and charging network owners) can guide how much energy and at what cost and time to deliver to any plugged-in EV. Enhanced communication among market participants helps efficiently manage high peaks and energy demand. This helps properly manage time, money and energy.

Charging points with smart charging connect EV owners, roaming hubs, and operators. Each time an EV is plugged in, the charging point transfers information (e.g. charging time, speed) to a centralized administration system. Extra data may also be forwarded, e.g. information about the local grid’s potential and how energy is at the moment used at the charging section (house, office building, supermarket etc.). With smart charging management, grids can be in advance informed when the peaks are expected. How? Smart charging also enables scheduling the EV charging. On the one hand, the system is accurately informed as to what amount of energy will be needed at a specific time, on the other hand, the user can plug in the plug and the charging process itself can be programmed at a convenient time interval. This eliminates excess energy use, and the actual power consumption can be conducted at lower tariffs, hence the efficiency.

The stream of data is analyzed and visualized in real-time by the tailored software backing the administration platform. This enables operators to control and manage energy consumption and distribution. Here's a little trivia: some countries already legally mandate the use of smart charging to prevent excessive billing and to utilize electricity productively.

From Charge Point Operator to Smart Charge Point Operator

In the basic model, the charging session starts as soon as the EV is connected to the charging point and stops when the battery is fully charged. In the enhanced scenario, the Charging Service Provider turns into Smart Charging Service Provider. Thanks to a properly designed communication system, SCSP can receive information from the grid when there is a peak in energy production. The same applies to higher energy demands (e.g. nighttime home charging). The third segment is the EV drivers. The information flow delivers the set time when the EV is needed again. Depending on the time frame - If charging applies to the overnight schedule, the EV can be charged much more steadily. For the grid, this indicates more constant, lower power consumption if demand is huge, and higher power consumption if there is a production peak. This extra section, responsible for smart charging communication, ensures that power consumption control is high-performance and effective.

EV charging infrastructure is formed by eMobility Service Providers, Charge Point Operators and roaming hubs. The data exchange aims to provide EV drivers a trouble-free charging experience. Overall information is related to EV electricity consumption. The easiest and most practical way to implement smart charging seems to be open standard implementation. Open protocols aim to ease and scale e-mobility services and accelerate the EV charging market development. Recent versions of OCPI (2.2) and OCPP (2.0.1) support smart charging communication. Privately held OICP and eMIP protocols in charge point information exchange modules also include smart charging operations. In the near future, it might become mandatory to implement Smart Charging modules. Hence Charging Service Providers will become Smart Charging Service Providers connecting the local grid operators and, via the national grid operator, being able to communicate with the energy market.

What is the potential of charging stations?

Smart charging goes beyond just agile energy management. Some pilot programs already exist in which the car not only consumes energy but also delivers it back to the grid (Vehicle-to-grid, V2G). In this way, EVs can actually soak up peaks and troughs occurring on the grid instead of enhancing them. Power back to the grid forms an extra role for Smart Charging Service Provider (within the protocol) that is also valuable for the energy flow within the grid.

Intelligent building architecture takes into account the flow of energy consumption data. In both households and smart office buildings, Smart Charging Service Provider communication will help to utilize energy usage and match it accordingly. For the Charge Point Operators, this also provides additional information about energy use, which will help to ensure sustainable energy consumption. Charging stations with a smart layer can turn into a critical part of a new energy flow network, balancing the load, and providing crucial information to the whole system.

Such a grid-friendly smart module already exists on the German and Swiss markets. The Mobility House provides a grid-friendly feature of the charging processes to ensure a stable electricity supply during a huge energy transition (“Energiewende”). Smart energy management reduces electricity costs, and as the TMH states, it’s due to lower grid fees. In numbers, the savings reach from 60 to 120 euros per year and per charging point, from reduced grid usage fees. Besides, Swiss users show growing demand for controlled charging processes.

Notifications, when charging can be done at a lower rate using renewable energy, are encouraging. By forming a benefit system providers can gather a greater audience. The efficient use of charging stations with smart charging is not limited. The e-mobility market is constantly evolving towards optimal use of time and resources. Efficient energy flow means reducing power spikes and pits, even up to 50%. Additionally, enhanced communication between stations and the network, as well as between partners, enables better grid management and the entire efficiency of the e-mobility system.

How to get more out of electromobility? Discover smart use of time and energy for e-mobility.

Charging station potential - how to fully benefit with smart electric mobility?

Challenges & opportunities for EV charging network development

After founding Solidstudio, Pawel was an originator in terms of pursuing expertise in eMobility. With the build-up of a solid knowledge-base on industry’s needs & wants, he now keeps a close eye on products’ development. He’s also hugely responsible for the business’ side and designs the business models for our products.

Paweł Małkowiak

Electric vehicles, much like any other industry, came a long way. With first-ever electricity-powered automobiles constructed back in 1830 all the way to Tesla becoming a global giant, the EV market noted a revolutionary headway. Despite the major milestone, the e-mobility industry still faces challenges that may not be overcome for yet another solid bit of time. Insofar as the transportation industry can be easily dubbed as one of the most advanced, the e-mobility sector itself has still a lot of work to put in, mostly in terms of infrastructure. As much as developing long-range EVs with rechargeable batteries is quite a task to get grips with, charging network is what really holds back the mass adoption worldwide. Although, seemingly perceivable as a straightforward action of intensifying large-scale installations of EV charging points across the nations, the issue is a lot more multi-dimensional. Namely, a few solid charging-oriented companies which are ready to manufacture and install charging stations is not enough. Behind the mass adoption, there are many interconnected elements, such as: governmental support through the implementation of various pro-electric policies and incentives i.e. in the form of tax reductions, progressive software development allowing for more user-friendly operation of charging stations, infrastructural changes backed up by local authorities, or simply extending people’s knowledge and awareness about environmental degradation the combustion engines cause and many more.

It goes without saying that developing a global network that would allow EV users to seamlessly travel from one place to another takes a large amount of workload and time. Even though there is still plenty of work ahead some major milestones and discoveries are already taking place.

In this article we want to give some insights into the EV network’s development and its current state around the world.

It wouldn’t be an in-depth discernment if we didn’t start off with elaborating a bit on the types of charging stations. Three main ones can be distinguished:

 being the fastest way to charge an EV, these stations are usually located along motorways and close to main roads. They come in handy en route especially during lengthy rides. Depending on the car’s brand, the capacity of such charges can reach even an 80% charge within 20-30 minutes while at 50+kW.

possibly most common ones, usually installed in business districts, offices, major car parks and urban areas where it’s usual to leave the car for approximately an hour. Their charging capacity oscillates at 1-2hour when at 22kW (most popular one).

known for being the most commonly used as home-chargers, rated up to 3kW. They are typically used for overnight charging, but occasionally found in offices where employees can charge their vehicle while at work. They take between 6-10h to fully charge the car.

It must be noted that we can differentiate more subtypes, especially when it comes to rapid chargers. With charging being one of the main focuses of the entire industry, brands keep on developing highly-efficient and very fast stations. That includes: UltraRapid DC which provides power at 100kW or Tesla’s Supercharger that can charge up to 150kW.

In the big game of charging stations it is most likely that the e-mobility future will be dominated by slow and fast charging stations due to their convenience and low-cost electricity. Although, it doesn’t change the fact that rapid chargers are the ones which will eventually alleviate the range-anxiety and might be the most prominent way of charging for branches such as taxis or buses.

Electric vehicles infrastructure doesn’t fail to ever grow and evolve. Yet, it’s somehow fallen into a vicious cycle of “there will be more charging stations when people buy more electric vehicles” vs “people will buy more electric vehicles when there are more available charging stations”.

Nevertheless, despite such unanswerable nuances, the infrastructure has been doing well in recent years. According to the most recent numerical data, as of 2019, there were 7.3 million chargers worldwide (6.5 million of which - private; light-duty vehicle slow chargers in homes, multi-dwelling buildings and workplaces). In terms of public charging points, which hold the 12% share in the overall number, it’s been noted that their amount increased up to 60% year on year. This figure exceeded even the electric light-duty vehicle stock growth. Such impressive expansion naturally has a lot to do with various policies advocating EV’s adoption.

Although the figures look very promising, there is one particular drawback and that is the distribution of ownership across the globe. Nearly 61% of all private-owned charging stations are located in two countries only. It must be noted that these are some major countries with large numbers of citizens, but still, it shows well how EV charging networks are falling behind in some areas of the globe.

The leadership of the pack stays with China, which holds top performance in almost all EV-related rankings. In terms of private charging points, the figures are as follows:

Publicly accessible charging stations are spread very similarly. With slight distinction for the Netherlands, which has 8% share of public chargers. Public charging points accounted for 12% of global light-duty vehicle chargers.

In terms of fast charging stations, China left no room for competitors, with a whooping 81% share.

This data clearly shows that a vast majority of charging networks is located within some specific areas, leaving the rest far behind. The superiority of China is dictated by various reasons. For instance, the popularity of fast charging stations in China is powered by the high demand due to its very dense urban areas as well as the impressive figures behind how many public service means of transport (i.e. buses) are in fact electric there. In other countries (mostly in EU top EV performers: Netherlands, Germany, UK, Sweden) the increased demand for electric vehicles has been fueled by heavy governmental incentivization. In the USA, Tesla played a huge role in shaping the drive for green cars.

Impact of Covid-19 on e-mobility progress

Pandemic outbreak is taking its toll on nearly every industry and so e-mobility also took a hit. Luckily, not a critical one. Coronavirus has rubbed the EV network the wrong way in two fields mostly. Firstly, it slowed down the manufacturing and development as many factories halted production and closed up for some time (same goes with batteries/chargers firms). Secondly, observable changes in traffic volume impacted the amount of cars on the roads, especially in big cities where the number of people working from home was the highest. Later, when in some of such areas, lockdown policies were being gradually loosened up, other restrictions were put forward limiting public transport capacities, simultaneously increasing the traffic and creating a difficult environment for EVs. This creates a space for local authorities to step in and take actions advocating for electric automobiles.

While touching upon potential challenges and opportunities for the industry, one must differentiate between the areas where e-mobility is doing well and those where it’s practically non-existent.

In the first instance, naturally a lot more opportunities emerge. With EV charging networks already greatly developed (China urban areas, Norway, California), electric vehicles on the streets are no longer a surprise. Namely, people are willing to purchase such means of transport, simply knowing that it will bring no difficulties in terms of usage and daily commute. This also drives the demand for ever-evolving development and implementation of new, more technologically advanced findings. Such an environment poses great opportunities for local entrepreneurs and companies. According to an old, well-known rule - where there's demand, there’s supply - business owners are not afraid to invest in the e-mobility market, knowing they will find partners and clients. This creates a self-fueled setting for a healthy competition followed up by constant development in charging infrastructure. It must also be noticed that certain areas, where e-Mobility plays a major role within the transportation industry, are doing so well due to significant incentivization by governments. Subsequently, local authorities, seeing their actions have a valid reflection on reality, are more likely to implement yet another facilities for EV industry, such as financial subsidies for companies who aim to broaden the EV charging network.

The situation looks drastically different in areas where EV charging network is limited to none. The focus there needs to be entirely on encouraging to start building any EV infrastructure in the first place. Again, here is where local authorities should come in with as many incentives and programs as possible in order to trigger interest in e-mobility investment. Without it being widely advocated and advertised, the likelihood of entrepreneurs reaching out to fund such investments is relatively low. As we all know, the first steps are the hardest, that way it certainly will take some time until favorable conditions arise. With that being said, the biggest challenge would be to engage local authorities, public transport managers and local companies to start implementing e-mobility solutions.

EV charging network is one multi-dimensional and complex topic. Its distribution across the globe remains uneven and dependent on numerous factors. In some parts of the world, electric vehicles have come a way long enough to freely say that the most prominent milestones have been already reached and it’s only now a matter of development. Other countries are in their infacies and still have lots of work to put forward. Nevertheless, the future generally looks bright for EVs and the entire industry is excited of what’s yet to come.

A revolutionary road to the next big step progressing EV charging network development. What's next?

EV charging network - where to go next?

Cities that show you what the future will look like

Experienced content writer with over 4 years of experience in the energy sector and many industry-related publications released.

Gabriela Stawiarska

The concept of smart cities has been circling around for years. Although initially dubbed as futuristic embroidery and oftentimes portrayed in dystopian novels, it is no longer a pipe dream but a bold vision coming to life. As much as flying cars and robots replacing humans in daily activities are not likely to be seen in the foreseeable future, the implementation of smart cities idea is a real-life occurrence. Technology world is on a continuous hunt for better, faster, smarter, more efficient and more advanced solutions. Big-tech companies are racing to introduce ground-breaking measures in order to fit into the leading edge. And… it’s no surprise that they do.

Humankind is bound to witness the highest level of technological advancement. From rechargeable electric vehicles, energy created from wind or water and spaceships exploring cosmic space to big data, fintech, IoT and artificial intelligence, the world is inundated with solutions that were once beyond the boldest dreams. This is where the idea of smart cities emerges and sets off on an ambitious venture to bring the innovations together in order to create interconnected operation networks that would eventually run the cities.

The demand for such projects is fueled by mass population surge to urban areas which tests their infrastructure and services to the limits. Allegedly, out of 7.8 billion people currently inhabiting the planet, more than half is living in cities permanently - and the number continues to grow. It is estimated that within the next 30 years, another 2,5 billion people will move to urban areas. Such population figures pose a potential threat for various aspects of cities’ proper functioning i.e. mobility, energy, waste or security.

Authorities and entrepreneurs have been searching for solutions to leverage technology so that it satisfies the increasing requirements. Across the globe we can already observe some highly advanced metropolitan areas. Amongst the most technology-oriented cities, we can differentiate:

According to IMD Smart City Index 2020, Singapore ranks first. It leads the way in terms of healthcare and livability, mobility and safety. Although, known for its extraordinary architecture, Singapore has a lot to offer when it comes to smart mobility solutions, with great emphasis on facilitations for its eldelry citizens. An autonomous fleet has been created to help senior citizens stay mobile. They also use a contactless payment/ticketing system in public transport. With the use of “open data”, the authorities introduced a trial to facilitate transport planning, that way 5 000 vehicles are being analyzed in real-time circumstances. The trial resulted in the rate of over-crowded buses being reduced by whooping 92%.

Another milestone on the path to the impressive number one position in smart cities ranking is how greatly developed the healthcare system is. TeleHealth video consultations offer appointments over the internet. TeleRehab allows patients to undergo exercises in their own home through wearable IoT devices which monitor patients’ state. There is also an AI-based Smart Elderly Alert System that alerts caregivers when an emergency action is required due to the patient's physical symptoms.

Surely, there are no surprises here. With financial resources of that scale and sharp investments, Dubai has a lot to offer in terms of smart city solutions. It set a goal of going entirely paperless by the end of 2021, heavily focusing on high-level digitalization. Going paper-free is not the only step on Dubai’s path towards smart sustainability, they also undertook a massive venture of building the largest solar park in the world.  Spread over a total area of 77 square kilometers, Solar Park reached a generating capacity of 1.013 GW, while its phase 4 and 5 is still under development.

Dubai has also introduced an online way of delivering government services. Citizens can obtain three types of bundles: the wedding bundle, the newborn bundle and the business bundle from the comfort of their homes. Similar facility has also been launched via the DubaiNow app that allows people to pay for utilities, transportation, health services, education or residency directly from their smartphones. There is also an advanced smart car rental service in the city, all steered from a mobile device.

Photo: DEWA (Dubai Electricity and Water Authority)

In many rankings claimed to be the happiest and smartest city in Europe, Copenhagen is known for its impressive levels of eco-management. In 2014 it was dubbed as the European Green Capital and set an ambitious goal of reaching carbon neutrality by 2025. Through the energyLab Nordhavn project, they managed to reduce emissions and implement new urban energy infrastructures, i.e. through producing heat from municipal waste. Copenhagen is a great showcase of testing real-life, advanced technology in urban areas in order to improve the quality of life. It has to be mentioned that it’s also a marvellous place for entrepreneurs, highly advocating for startups initiatives. With more than 250 small companies that make up two-thirds of the smart city industry, Copenhagen welcomes investments with open hands and supports their progress through various government incentives.

Copenhagen Solutions Lab also partnered with Google to create Project Air View – a system measuring air pollution in the streets of Copenhagen. The real-time data across the city is collected from Wi-Fi access points, installed i.e. on the streetlights or buses and then fed into the general system. The knowledge generated from the partnership will provide the politicians with new insight upon which they can develop public policy addressing the problem of air pollution.

Norwegian capital grows to be Copenhagen's biggest rival in terms of smart city solutions. Awarded with the European Green Capital title in 2019, Oslo carries the e-mobility solutions on its back for what seems like an entire Europe. It plans to ban combustion engine vehicles by 2025 in order to meet its ambitious environmental targets. As much as it may sound extreme, with a charging network that developed and governmental incentives of that scale (removing most taxes, offering free parking and access to charging points and ferries, and authorising the use of bus lanes – the congestion in these “free-flow lanes”), the goal looks in fact reachable.

However, not only smart e-mobility stands for the reason behind Oslo “smartness”. FutureBuilt is a 10-year programme that aims to bring together public and private partners who are then to invest in buildings with 50% reduction in carbon footprint.

Boston was one of the first cities that started experimenting with smart cities solutions back in 2010, as a somewhat of a testrun for technologies. Throughout the years, many of them have been implemented in daily life for good. One of the most prominent examples of it are the well-developed apps, facilitating effortless navigation and reporting known as participatory urbanism. Few flagship apps can be differentiated: Where’s My School Bus allows parents to monitor their child’s safe route to school everyday. BOS:311 is an app that enables easy, on-the-spot reporting of any issues in the city that are instantly transferred to local authorities’ attention.

Boston also paid a great deal of attention to smart transportation and launched various programmes to improve the transport across the busy city.


It may be free to say that NYC appears somewhere high on any cities ranking in terms of the best, the biggest, the most advanced. It cannot be left out on the smart cities one. However, it must be noted that with a population of that scale and sucha massive density, The Big Apple’s solutions may slightly differ from the aforementioned ones. The main point of focus here is how to ensure that such a mass of people can lead a healthy, sustainable life without draining the city’s resources to the limits. Here’s where local authorities stepped in with smart lighting and water metering systems. Being known for its breathtaking “city at night” views of the lit up skyscrapers, it is also known for one of the highest energy consumption in the world. In 2013 they launched the Accelerated Conservation and Efficiency (ACE) program in order to get more control of the building's lightning systems. More than $350 million in funding has been already distributed across more than 650 buildings owned by 16 city agencies. Many of these projects are LED lighting retrofits, and they are saving over $800,000. In terms of water, NYC introduced an automated meter reading system that’s already installed in over 800.000 buildings feeding the daily water intake and delivering detailed data. Apart from that NYC can proudly brag about numerous systems enabling efficient waste management, air quality control and many more.

All of the above have managed to implement innovatory solutions as new standards in the everyday life of citizens and authorities. However, these are naturally not the only cities in the world that undertook actions towards being more smart and technology-oriented. Amongst other solutions implemented across the world we can find:

Sensors that can monitor crowd density and the movement of registered cars.

Systems that can tell when people are littering from high rise buildings

Apps allowing citizens to find an ATM, pay a ticket, report violations

Smart street lights that adapt to the activity on the street.

Smart metering systems feeding the energy data automatically to energy supplier, connected with solar panels and their share of energy production to the grid

Waste management with sensors automatically reporting to the services when containers are full

Advanced charging networks for electric vehicles, enabling seamless commute for EV users

Broad adoption of solar panels in public assets, such as traffic lights,

As much as all that has been implemented already is to be admired, big tech companies take no half-measures and aspire to shoot with technology through the roof. Apart from the real-life examples, some walked the extra mile and went on an astronomic venture of building smart cities from scratch.

It was back in 1966 when Disney introduced his first vision of a separate town-like area designated for a showcase of technology that ultimately was supposed to develop solutions that would help people lead a seamless existence. EPCOT (Experimental Prototype Community of Tomorrow) eventually became a theme park, but its main theme was rooted directly in the smart city idea.

Many years later, we get to experience what may seem like Disney’s vision of an all-smart city comes to life.

Woven - Toyota’s bold vision of the future

Toyota introduced what might be the boldest concept of smart city back in 2020. Although slowed down by the onset of pandemic, the project is now moving forward.  Woven City, nestled at the foothills of Mount Fuji in Japan, is supposed to take up 175 acres and become somewhat of a real-life laboratory for the most daring findings technology can offer. Built from scratch, Woven is supposed to not only serve as a test-station for engineers but as a fully functional space which inhabitants would get the chance to, by all means, contribute to its further development. Bjarke Ingels Group (BIG), who leads the architectural aspect, describes the project as follows: “Toyota Woven City aims to bring people and communities together in a future enabled by technology yet grounded in history and nature”.

Namely, despite almost unlimited amounts of technology, Toyota firmly assures that Woven City is a lot more than just a showcase of robotics and applied science. The focus is on sustainability and human-centric approach.

It is important to underline how far-fetched and penetrative the project is. It touches upon every aspect of urban wellbeing. Starting with smart mobility solutions enabling self-driving vehicles to peacefully coexist with pedestrians, the visoners behind the Woven City’s idea left no room for analogue settlements. Buildings are meant to be packed with technology to such an extent where daily chores much like taking the trash out, will be handled by artificial intelligence and fully automated. Robots are supposed to also take care of the inhabitants of the City of Future and measure their health parameters automatically, reporting any discrepancies.

The developed technological ameliorations are likely to establish the foundation for its future use on a broader scale.

Being a former car manufacturer, now a mobility company, Toyota really pushed the boundaries with mobility solutions that are to be implemented in Woven. They proposed an innovative way to separate different types of urban commute and reinforced it with autonomous vehicles to then transfer a great deal of transportation underground.

In terms of the pathways, there will be three types:

One road is designated for use by higher speed/zero emission automated vehicles.

Another street is designed for a mix of lower speed personal mobility vehicles, such as bikes, e-bikes, and e-scooters.

The third road is a park-like promenade exclusive for pedestrians.

Such distinction is supposed to serve the seamless convey, allowing everyone to select their chosen mean of transport with a great sense of safety as well as reducing congestion. What must be emphasized is that all vehicles will be zero-emission, electric and fully autonomous. Shared transportation will also serve as a delivery system.

Major thing about the entire conveyance system is that a great share of it is supposed to happen underground in metro-like subterranean systems directly connected with buildings - yet another way to ensure the traffic is limited.

City of the future - infrastructure and housing

Next stop on the winding path towards the ultimate smart city is its infrastructure and housing. Here, again, Toyota reached for some extraordinary measures. Sustainability and functionality seem to be leading the idea behind the housing structure. Houses are to be packed with sensor-based AI to do things such as restocking the fridge or taking out the trash automatically.

It has to be underlined that the aforementioned underground system is going to be connected to the AI solutions, that way right after the sensors report the lack of something, it will get automatically delivered to the building through the subterranean network.

To push things to an even higher level, housings will be equipped with technology monitoring people’s health and also automatically reporting any discrepancies.

Eco management plays a huge role in Woven City and any other smart city. This is where technology meets nature and serves it in the best possible way.

Amongst the sustainable solutions, powering the eco-efficiency, we can differentiate:

Solar panels installed on every building’s roof (taking up nearly the entire rooftop space) providing green electricity. In addition energy will be obtained from hydrogen fuel cells.

Buildings made of mostly of wood to reduce the carbon footprint, using traditional wood joinery mixed with robotic production method

Only zero-emission electric vehicles charged with energy obtained from solar panel

It goes without saying that implementation of such advanced smart city solutions into every city is at this point rather impossible. However, much like Rome wasn’t built in one day, as the time passes by, we can all expect more and more technology flowing into the urban areas. It is beyond important for governments to start paying attention to sustainable development and the utilization of AI and technological findings that can ease everyone's lives. Solutions, like the ones available in Copenhagen or Oslo, can be transferred all over the world. With current development of technology, where traffic can be measured automatically, street lights powered with green energy, cars charged with solar electricity and citizens having the chance to navigate and operate tasks from their smartphones, it is crucial that such solutions are implemented worldwide and become the new normal for the better future of the planet. Technology is here to stay and it’s about time humans start using it to increase the quality of daily lives.

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