By 2050, an expected 67% of the population will live in urban areas. As cities grow, so do the mobility needs of different users and the subsequent demand for specialised vehicle designs and architectures.

Following the 2020 European Commission call to trigger R&D initiatives addressing a broader range of mobility needs, the project URBANIZED has been developed to focus on commercial vehicles related needs. The project intends to provide cities with sustainable last-mile delivery by solving the trade-offs between ‘one size fits all’ and ‘design for purpose’. It has been working with the 4 selected projects by the European Commission, seeking to strengthen partners networking, by exchanging insights, on which great strides can be build upon. Among the 4 projects, electric vehicle innovation has been driven in Torino and Firenze, where a safer electric kick scooter and a new micro-vehicle based in between monowheel and scooter, have been respectively developed. Ideally, municipal authorities have developed sustainable urban mobility plans alongside such initiatives.

Integrating flexibility and modularity in the design phase can provide the next generation of urban electric vehicles urban-readiness and proper integration into the local transport networks.

Photo by Michael Fousert