Smart Infrastructure EU

The largest retail network of electric vehicle (EV) chargers will be rolled out across 600 Tesco stores in the UK within the next three years, it has been announced. The British supermarket has partnered with Volkswagen to provide a charging network that will comprise of 2,400 EV charging bays, and will be installed by UK-based independent public operator, Pod Point. Customers will be able to charge their electric cars using a standard 7kW fast charger for free or benefit from the use of a rapid 50 kW charger for a small cost in line with the market rate.

Fifteen of London’s iconic bridges are to be illuminated in a new “ground-breaking” project that will transform and invigorate the Thames riverfront. The Illuminated River Foundation and Signify have partnered together to provide connected LED lighting that will light up the historic landmarks via centrally managed software. More than 22,000 connected LED light points, capable of displaying over 16 million colours, will be used to create dynamic lighting effects in the city’s first holistic lighting strategy.

Huawei showcased its Digital Platform based on leading new ICTs including artificial intelligence (AI), internet of things (IoT), big data and cloud, enabling city-wide intelligence and sustainable development across the international smart city industry, at the Smart City Expo World Congress (SCEWC) 2018.

According to a new report from the IoT analyst firm Berg Insight, yearly shipments of smart energy meters in Europe will reach a record level of 31.3 million units in 2018. Smart electricity meter shipments grew 16% compared to the previous year to 22.2 million units. At the same time, smart gas meter shipments increased 9% to 9.1 million units. Growth in both segments will be sustained into 2019 and 2020, driven by ongoing large-scale rollouts in multiple countries.

A French global energy services company and a real estate developer have agreed to partner on an ambitious new project that will create what they describe to be as a new 'smart city of tomorrow' in Paris.