What 2022 has in store for smart mobility

To date, much of this European Commission’s agenda has been focused on  sustainability, which has been pushed forward through Green Deal policies in the “Fit for 55 Package.” Now, coming to the halfway point of its mandate, the Commission is turning its focus to the ‘smart’ elements of its mobility strategy. 

In 2020, the Commission published its Sustainable and Smart Mobility Strategy (SSMS), which put forward the Commission’s plan to make transport more sustainable – and smart. Included in its SSMS action plan, is the aim of:  

• Operating at least 30 million zero-emission cars on European roads by 2030
• Readying large zero-emission aircraft by 2035
• Having a fully operational, multimodal Trans-European Transport Network (TEN-T) by 2050

The Commission has an ambitious agenda to deliver by the end of its term in 2024 – a new mobility ecosystem which is not only more cooperative across transport modes, but also more connected and increasingly automated. Europe is embracing a digital agenda for mobility to increase levels of safety, security, reliability and comfort to users. 

1. In-vehicle generated data: EU rules for services based on access to car data 

More and more, our transport systems are being connected. This provides many benefits to consumers through repair and maintenance solutions, car sharing services, and better insurance products. Data can provide consumers with access to far more choice on services, helping to drive down costs in a competitive market.  

 Data can provide consumers with access to far more choice on services, helping to drive down costs in a competitive market.  

CAROLINE ALIWELL, ACCOUNT MANAGER

However, there remain longstanding contentious issues and questions when it comes to the governance of vehicle-generated data, including:

• Whether data should be accessed at all?
• What data should be accessed, by whom, how frequently and the mechanism for doing this?
• Who ‘owns’ the data and how it should be managed?
• How to establish appropriate safeguards, for example on cybersecurity and privacy?

Legislation in this area has been promised for many years now, with stakeholders still conflicted on how to resolve the issues mentioned above. The Commission is expected to publish a proposal for a regulation in the second quarter of 2022.  

2. Intelligent transport systems (review of EU rules)  

In 2022, work in the EU institutions will commence on the revision of the Intelligent Transport Systems Directive, after the  the Commission published a revision of its rules on Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) in mid-December last year. 

Over the past few years, we’ve seen the digitalization of transport networks – from connected and automated mobility (like self-driving vehicles) to online platforms giving consumers access to different transport modes.  

The revised ITS Directive takes autonomous and connected mobility services into account and proposes that crucial road, travel and traffic data – such as speed limits, traffic circulation plans/roadworks – is made digitally available first along the TEN-T network, and then eventually covering the entire road network. This is to help facilitate the deployment of ITS services.  

The European Parliament and Council will both now scrutinise the text of the proposal, which will go through the ‘ordinary legislative procedure.’ Both institutions will have the opportunity to amend the proposal, with negotiations expected to last at least a year – possibly longer. All stakeholders are able to provide feedback on the proposed revision of the ITS Directive until 20 March 2022.  

2022 will also see the Commission drive forward many of the actions announced in its Communication on a New EU Urban Mobility Framework.

Caroline Aliwell, Account Manager

3. New EU Urban Mobility Framework 

2022 will also see the Commission drive forward many of the actions announced in its Communication on a New EU Urban Mobility Framework, which was published on 14 December 2021. The Communication sets out a broad range of issues that people living in cities and their surrounding areas face and measures on how to tackle them. This includes, but isn’t limited to, the following key areas: 

• Innovative mobility services – making urban mobility smarter, more environmentally friendly and easing congestion. Specific actions for 2022 include developing a common European mobility data space to facilitate access to and the sharing of data, and launching a study to map digital solutions allowing more effective urban vehicle access regulations (UVARs – a form of traffic management)
• Encouraging better access to data, and voluntary data sharing to make freight transport more efficient and competitive and to support decision-making. Specific Commission actions for 2022 include publishing a legislative initiative on the provision/use of commercially sensitive data for multimodal digital mobility services, and considering the mandatory provision of operators’ real-time data through national data action points when it reviews Delegated Regulation 2017/1926 on multimodal travel information services.  
• Environmental issues – facilitating the green transition towards climate-neutral transport. This will, in part, include improving data. Commission actions include requiring the collection of urban mobility data, including on greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, modal share, and air and noise pollution. It will also publish a proposal revising the CO2 emission performance standards for heavy-duty vehicles by the end of the year.  

The purpose of this framework is to provide a more coordinated and harmonised approach to action, which was previously being addressed at more of a local level. The Commission has therefore called for more action and new investments, focusing on public transport, multimodality, and active mobility infrastructure.  

4. Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) 

Multimodal Digital Mobility Services (MDMS) aim to give clarity to people to help them plan their travel routes or compare travel operators for tickets and make transport systems more efficient.  

This legislative initiative, expected in the fourth quarter of 2022, will look to ensure that there’s a healthy and transparent mobility market, that people are given information on the greenhouse gas emissions of a trip, and that large tech incumbents don’t put anti-competitive practices in place.  

2022 promises a packed legislative schedule for the digitalisation of the transport sector as well as for the EU’s digital policy.

Caroline Aliwell, Account Manager

2022 promises a packed legislative schedule for the digitalisation of the transport sector as well as for the EU’s digital policy. We’ve highlighted 4 key areas in this article, but many more are expected as the Commission looks to enable a smarter and more sustainable transport system. 

 – Written by Caroline Aliwell with contributions from Sophie Marandon and Alessandro Bazzoli