Rapid environmental changes are impacting our cities and require rapid and innovative actions. The Rapid Applications for Transport (RAPTOR) Programme seeks to do so via its agile competition. The RAPTOR competition matches European cities facing urban mobility challenges with start-ups with innovative mobility solutions. While each of the city challenges and proposed solutions are different, the common theme woven throughout is the urgency of the transition to more sustainable transport.
And the 2023 start-ups with innovative mobility solutions are…
EIT Urban Mobility is excited to announce the winning start-ups/SMEs of the 2023 RAPTOR Competition. Over 150 applications were received for the 12 city challenges. Following a rigorous two-phase evaluation process, we are pleased to present the 12 winners: Meep, Instant System, Hergele, Kentyou, Chargeprice, Asistobe, Rastel.io, Kobla, Nudgd, Everimpact, Transcality and Lokit!
Following the agile methodology of the programme, the projects will kick off in August and run until December 2023. During these 5 months, winners will work closely with their respective city. Firstly the innovative start-up solutions for mobility challenges will need to be developed and tailored to the city specific requirements. Then they will be tested and validated in real-life demonstrations.
What are the innovative mobility start-up solutions?
City of Ajka, Hungary + Meep
Every day around half of the population of the city of Ajka, commute to its centre. The insufficient and unreliable public transport routes contribute to the high congestion rates caused by car usage. Consequently this creates a disruption to mobility flows in the city. Spanish SME Meep will work with the City of Ajka to increase the use of public transport by improving the reliability and experience of public transport. They will do so by providing real-time information to users and enhancing communication with citizens.
City of Akureyri, Iceland + Instant System
Despite a free public bus system, citizens of Akureyri prefer to travel by private car. The city is seeking to enhance intermodality between the public buses and micromobility solutions to promote modal shift to more sustainable transport. French SME Instant System will pilot its MaaS platform to provide users the best journey combinations of public transport, personal bike and shared mobility. Information on the CO2 emissions on these journeys compared to use of a car, will work to incentivise users.
City of Ankara, Türkiye + Hergele
Capital city Ankara, is facing challenges in optimising the field operations of their electric bike sharing system. With more than 500 bikes and 40 charging stations, route optimisation of the bicycle maintenance vehicles via an integrated software is required for efficient and smart management. Turkish start-up Hergele will develop the route optimisation features of its Opp app which acts as a bridge between management and staff. The app provides an extensive micro-mobility fleet management solution by automating processes, facilitating communication, and providing real-time tracking and data analysis for informed and effective decision making.
Metropolitan Area of Barcelona, Spain + Kentyou
The Metropolitan Area of Barcelona is facing challenges in getting the most value from data collected by their own app monitoring loading/unloading zones, to make data-driven decisions. French start-up Kentyou will demo its holistic data platform, AI-powered data analytics tool, and a visualisation and decision-making tool. The solution will provide forecasting of parking demand or occupancy, routing optimisation, and traffic management recommendations.
Capital Region of Denmark, Denmark + Chargeprice
The Capital Region of Denmark is working to electrify 1.5 million vehicles by 2030. Thus the accessibility and transparency of electric vehicle charging infrastructure is key. The price of EV charging in the region is regulated by the charging operators, each with their own pricing policy and app. Therefore charging can vary significantly depending on the time of day, type of charging station, operator, and roaming policies. French start-up Chargeprice, will pilot its EV charging price comparator which precisely calculates and predicts charging prices among the thousands of charging operators in Europe. Consequently, the app allows EV drivers to find the best charging station and prices based on personal choices.
City of Debrecen, Hungary + Asistobe
Like many cities, Debrecen faces challenges caused by the extreme growth of car traffic. Norwegian start-up Asistobe will work with the city to create an optimised, sustainable transport network that connects low-density areas. By using mobile network data, historical public transport data, and demographic data, Asistobe will create a predictive model of the transport demand. As a result, Asistobe’s AI and machine learning algorithms, will propose the optimal intermodal transport systems, including organisation, capacity, routes, and timetables.
City of Dubnica nad Váhom, Slovakia + Rastel.io
The central city of Dubnica nad Váhom, is in the process of developing its first bicycle infrastructure and a strategic approach to increase modal share. One of the challenges they face is to provide safe and accessible infrastructure for bicycle users. Addressing this challenge, Romanian start-up Rastel.io will pilot its modular, smart, and secure bike parking units which have a digital twin for real-time data. Additionally, the solar powered parking units are accessible through an app which can enable 3rd party organisations to reward active mobility.
The Hague, Netherlands + Kobla
Norwegian start-up Kobla will pilot an incentive system that validates the use of public or shared transportation for travel to Scheveningen Beach, and offers a variety of rewards. Accordingly, Kobla’s solution will promote more sustainable travel to the beach and reduce traffic congestion issues, key elements of the challenge faced by the Hague.
City of Helsingborg, Sweden + Nudgd
Winning local start-up Nudgd will work alongside the City of Helsingborg to increase cycling rates using its Smart Nudges platform. Specifically Nudgd will develop a school-focused version of the platform, using behavioural science and nudging techniques to encourage active mobility. The digital platform targets parents, children, and school staff, offering personalised interventions and soft incentives.
City of Mechelen, Belgium + Everimpact
The city of Mechelen is undertaking an ambitious transition to zero-emission city logistics by 2030. In order to achieve this target, the city requires a data-based solution to monitor interventions. Selected winner, French based SME Everimpact, will test 15 IoT sensors. Specifically these sensors will provide real-time data on CO2 emissions from freight transportation. Thereafter, allowing for powerful insights, informed decision-making, and targeted interventions.
City of Munich, Germany + Transcality
The city of Munich faces the challenge of understanding the travel behaviour of the ever-increasing number of inhabitants and commuters. Zurich start-up Transcality will implement a digital twin to leverage advanced data analytics and multimodal traffic simulation. Thus providing the City of Munich with a profound understanding of its citizens mobility patterns.
Stuttgart Region, Germany + LOKIT
For the Stuttgart Region, Italian start-up LOKIT will pilot secure universal micro mobility charging stations. These stations will contribute to diversifying sustainable transportation options to relieve congestion at large events.
We look forward to sharing upcoming news about their solution development from August to December 2023.
Are you a city* with a mobility challenge? Do you have an innovative start-up^ solution for mobility challenges? Contact us via our contact form or head to our website https://raptorproject.eu/ for more information on RAPTOR, past and present.
Learn more about the opportunities available for start-ups via the Impact Ventures and Innovation programmes.
*City must be located within an EU member state or third country associated to Horizon Europe.
^Start-up/SME must be registered within an EU member state or third country associated to Horizon Europe.
