Demonstration City: nanjing
Inform
In Nanjing (population 8.3 million), demonstration project on supporting the assessment and testing of running E-Minibus and rail transit, E-taxi management, shared E-bicycle and E-car, parking lot with charging system and intelligent network coach will be carried out to enhance the share of electric vehicles in the city. Nanjing currently has E-Minibuses (3000), E-Bike sharing (317), E- car sharing (2100), E-Taxi (2000), whose share is still low compared to fossil fueled vehicles in the city and standardized charging system is a need. National and local E-mobility plan exist in the country. ERTICO and T-Systems will support in the demonstration project. Locally, the demonstration activities will be coordinated and supported by Nanjing University of Science & Technology; Traffic Administration Bureau of Nanjing Public Security Bureau; Nanjing Transportation Bureau; and Nanjing Traffic Information Centre, together with other public and private stakeholders. Beside technical support from SOL+ for the demonstration activities in Nanjing, MOST China will provide financial support. Nanjing plans to twin with Hamburg city of Germany for the demonstration.
Initiate
With the support of the government and the cooperation of enterprises and universities, transportation infrastructure is developed rapidly with diversity. However, the city face typical traffic problems. Nanjing currently has E-Minibuses (3000), E-Bike sharing (317), E-car sharing (2100), E-Taxi (2000), whose share is still low compared to fossil fueled vehicles in the city. The available mobility services include intermodal route planning, eco-routing, eco-driving and charging and parking infrastructure, which city is planning to advance the system. Nanjing has some of the charging systems (public and private) such as solar charging, wireless charging and composite land-use mode charging.Although Nanjing’s EV system is growing, the city faces some problems including diversity restriction of urban traffic conditions and coordination of management of multiple traffic modes.
The SOLUTIONSplus project, commencing on January 1, 2020, brings together 45 global partners to promote sustainable urban mobility through innovative electric solutions. Building on the Urban Electric Mobility Initiative was launched in 2014, and working in conjunction with a project overseen by the IEA and UN Environment, SOLUTIONSplus strives for a worldwide transformation in e-mobility and aims to showcase city demonstrations. Dr. Li WAN, representing the demonstration city of Nanjing, participated in a kick-off workshop in Berlin.
Upon his return, and in collaboration with Nanjing’s leadership, he formed two crucial teams: 1. LCMM Demo Core Team: This team includes Associate Professor HE Liu from NJUST, Dr. Xianli ZHU, Senior Economist from UNEP, and Mr. Xin XU, Project Manager from T-System China, with Dr. Li WAN from China-Link Invest (CLI) serving as the coordinator. The team operates under the guidance of Professor QI Yong from NJUST and Mr. Ralf WILLENBROCK from T-Systems International. 2. Nanjing Capacity Build Core Team: This team is highlighted by Ms. Qian GONG from JISTC, with coordination by Dr. Li WAN and oversight by Mr. Zhong ZHANG, the Director at JISTC.
Implement
Demo Implementation
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Localization: The LCMM localization was completed on July 2022.
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Data server: A server was built in China to store data and to post-process LCMM data which are compliant with the relative regularities in China and in the EU
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App: Considering technical difficulties, such as google map and low-level android services are not permitted to be used in China, the LCMM App was successfully transplanted.
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LCMM demo test
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In private cars: a total of 10 private cars from Nanjing and Beijing cities installed LCMM and underwent test drives on the base configuration and “ECO routing” configuration. The tests are compliant to SOL+ assessment requirements.
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In a public bus: LCMM is installed in 1 bus in Nanjing bus and underwent test drives on the base configuration and “ECO routing” configuration. The tests are compliant to SOL+ assessment requirements.
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Nanjing’s demo operations are reviewed monthly among teams and reported in the SOLUTIONSplus Asia-Pacific meeting, headed by Dr. Shritu Shrestha (Wuppertal Institut) and Ms. Kathleen Dematera Contreras (Clean Air Asia). The Nanjing SOLUTIONSplus activity started during a notable event on April 14, 2020, focusing on “Management of Public Transport to Contain COVID-19: Lessons from Nanjing, Madrid, and Hamburg”. The first China-EU quarterly meeting on November 13, 2020officially introduced the Nanjing demonstration to government representatives from China and the EU. The SOLUTIONSplus Program celebrated the opening of its Nanjing Training Centre in the Jiangning District Park on September 15, 2021. The inauguration, attended remotely by European partners such as UEMI and ERTICO, highlighted the synergy between European and Chinese efforts towards sustainability and e-mobility, drawing participants from both the academic and industrial sectors. Despite the challenges posed by COVID-19, the ITS World Congress took place in Hamburg in mid-October 2021. Dr. Li WAN represented Nanjing and shared updates on the city’s progress within the SOLUTIONSplus demonstration. In 2022, a service contract was finalized between NJUST and T-System for the LCMM demonstration deployment in Nanjing, alongside a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with UNEP for assessing the Nanjing LCMM demonstration.
The launch event for the LCMM demonstration in Nanjing was held on June 14, 2022. Later, on September 15, 2022, during the SOLUTIONSplus General Assembly in Potsdam, Germany, Dr. Li WAN updated the participants the LCMM demonstration from Nanjing’s perspective. The platform, which became operational and released its first application in August 2022, by solving obstacles such as the unavailability of Google Maps in China and security concerns regarding GPS tracking, and began testing with ten private vehicles with assigned responsibilities:
LCMM Demo Deployment: Directed by Prof. Liu HE, this has three phases: LCMM knowledge acquisition, deployment on 15 private cars, and extension to public buses. • LCMM Localization: Led by Xin XU from T-System China, this includes platform localization, an app launched in August 2022, and operational support. • LCMM Nanjing Demo Assessment: Guided by Dr. Xianli Zhu from UNEP, the steps involve aligning SOLUTIONSplus criteria with LCMM, supporting data sampling, and finalizing an assessment report. The consortium is encouraged to reflect on expansion strategies and objectives. Dr. ZHU from UNEP and Prof. HE from NJUST completed a user needs survey, incorporating a questionnaire and online interview aligned with the SOLUTIONSplus assessment framework. This revealed the significance of different impact indicators. All data practices adhere to Chinese laws, EU laws, and UNEP guidelines. On March 26, 2023, Prof. HE and Mr. XU presented the “SOLUTIONSplus LCMM Nanjing Field Trial Report” v.0.2. Dr. Xianli ZHU and Dr. Subash Dhar from UNEP reviewed it. Initial feedback indicated challenges in drawing conclusions due to the demo’s small sample size and limitations in adapting the LCMM App for China, affecting real-time driver interactions and map display. Feedback from demo drivers is also suggested. Consequently, an extended LCMM field test was proposed: using 1000 km for LCMM calibration using daily driver feedback and the remaining 9000 km to employ 3-4 taxis for LCMM field testing. Based on the insights gained from our previous experience, we structured the second iteration of the LCMM tests into three distinct Stages: calibration, a baseline demonstration with the LCMM disabled, and a comparative demonstration with the LCMM active. This demonstration involved four electric passenger cars with 12000 km data. On November 22, 2023, the Demo results were presented, and the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) provided a positive assessment of these results. Professor He, from NJUST, spearheaded the survey of LCMM drivers, utilizing the questionnaire developed by Dr. Zhu from UNEP. On November 27, 2023, Prof. HE submitted the answers. ERTICO-ITS invited Nanjing to join the “ERTICO City Moonshot survey.” The initiative interviewed 300 global cities about their mobility challenges and trends, aiming to create a centralized knowledge database on smart mobility needs. Dr. WAN has been asked to review the document titled “D3.8 IDIADA Standardisation and Harmonisation_IDI_rev_1.0.docx” under WP3 for the SOLUTIONSplus project.
Replication
On September 13, 2023, Professor He from NJUST presented a comprehensive summary of the LCMM (Low Carbon Mobility Management) scale-up. This initiative from T-System in Germany, transplanted in Nanjing, China, targets reducing urban traffic pollution through eco-driving. The program educates drivers using vehicle data, effectively cutting CO2 emissions and fuel usage. A Nanjing pilot achieved a 14.09% reduction in emissions. Expansion plans involve collaborations with transport agencies and integrating features into mapping apps. Significant challenges include technical compatibility, partner engagement, privacy issues, and financial viability. Overcoming these through government partnerships, corporate agreements, community involvement, and international collaboration indicates LCMM’s potential for wider adoption, advancing China’s sustainable transportation and energy objectives.
Trends and Drivers
Nanjing government encourages the development of electric vehicles, and has issued a series of supporting policies, such as:
1. “ Notice on the Adjustment of Charging Standard for Pure Electric Vehicle Charging Service”, the maximum charge for electric bus (12m) switching service will be lowered by 0.10 RMB per kilometre;
2. “Notice of the Implementation Plan for the Promotion and Application of New Energy Vehicles in Nanjing during the 13th Five-Year Plan”, by 2020, the city will basically realize the overall new energy utilization of buses in the main urban area and the new urban area; 20,000 new charging piles will be built in the city, totalling 25,000.
Nanjing has also made active policies and technological advances in the following areas:
1. Actively explore the landing application of high and new technologies such as Intelligent Network Connection, aiming at improving traffic capacity, and efficiency of control and management;
2. Nanjing will vigorously promote the popularization and development of new energy vehicles such as electric vehicles in order to reduce the impact of greenhouse gas emissions and noise on residents.
