Rhine-Alpine News
31.08.2023
TEN T Revision Survey – Urban Mobility Data and Indicators in Urban Nodes
Source: Symbolic picture by Geralt on Pixabay
The European Commission has launched a survey on urban mobility data and indicators in all planned 424 urban nodes in Europe. Participation is possible until 22.09.2023.
The European Commission’s Expert Group on Urban Mobility and the Directorate-General for Mobility and Transport of the European Commission are conducting a survey to gather information about the data covering the seven areas for urban mobility indicators identified in Article 40 of the Commission proposal for a revised TEN-T Regulation: greenhouse gas emissions, congestion, road accidents and injuries, modal share, access to mobility services, air pollution, noise pollution.
The survey is being conducted to gain a better understanding of the collection, methods and use of urban mobility data at city level.
The results of this survey will feed into the preparation of the related implementing act setting out the methodology, frequency, and other parameters for reporting the urban mobility indicators foreseen in Article 40 of the proposed TEN-T Regulation. Suitable and easy-to-use indicators will help to measure progress in transforming urban mobility to become more sustainable and attractive.
Source:
https://qeurope.eu.qualtrics.com/jfe/form/SV_6xSWoZkb4NKufjw
Bringing green methanol to the shipping industry
Source: Symbolic picture by 127071 on Pixabay
The German Federal Ministry of Transport is contributing €10.4 million to the Leuna100 research initiative. The objective is to produce market-ready “green” methanol. The project is scheduled to operate for three years.
This alcohol is viewed as the key to end reliance on petroleum in these industries. The consortium of experts relies on the novel C1 catalytic process to produce “green” methanol in order to achieve this goal.
For this project, the Berlin-based climate-tech start-up C1 has partnered with the Fraunhofer Institute for Wind Energy Systems IWES, the Fraunhofer Institute for Environmental, Safety and Energy Technology UMSICHT, the DBI Gas Technology Institute Freiberg, and the Technical University (TU) of Berlin.
Shipping is responsible for approximately 3% of global carbon emissions and around 1.1 billion metric tons of carbon dioxide (CO2) emissions, as well as other hazardous air pollutants such as sulphur and nitrogen oxides or particulates.
Current methanol production is based on a 100-year-old, technically mature, and emission-heavy process that utilizes fossil natural gas or coal. C1 claims to have developed a novel, highly efficient catalyst that completely transforms this process. This new process is said to facilitate cost-effective production from non-fossil feedstocks such as biomass or carbon dioxide. The process utilizes the carbon input in a continuous cycle rather than generating additional emissions.
Individual process stages and, in particular, their coupling to an overall process still need to be optimized and scaled up for the commercialization of the e-methanol process.
The objective of the project is to implement for the first time in the real world a process consisting of electricity-based synthesis gas generation and a fundamentally newly developed methanol synthesis.
Source(in German):
https://binnenschifffahrt-online.de/2023/08/schiffstechnik/30697/leuna/
The S-Bahn as freight transport: a pilot test in Berlin
Source: Symbolic picture by DasKameraAuge on Pixabay
Manja Schreiner (CDU), senator for transport in Berlin, wishes to test the S-Bahn network of the German capital for freight transport. A spokeswoman for the Senate Department for Mobility, Transport, Climate Protection and the Environment stated on Saturday that the project’s logistics partners will be sought during a two-year pilot phase. After which, it is possible for the first freight S-Bahn of this type to operate.
Freight traffic is very heavy on the Berlin roadways. Using the S-Bahn rail network could therefore be one way to ease the burden of the roads. Zürich, which has the so-called Cargo Tram and the E-Tram, into which people can load their bulky products and, respectively, their old electrical appliances, is a pioneer in this use case.
More details regarding this undertaking are yet to be disclosed.
Source(In German):