Demonstration City: Montevideo
Inform
Tools and different types of knowledge products on low-carbon urban logistics, cycle logistics, light electric vehicles (LEV), charging infrastructure, batteries and e-buses were incorporated in the SOLUTIONSplus online toolbox and shared with the city, addressing the knowledge gaps identified in the course of the project.
Inspire
A total of four modules were conducted in the Regional Training Programs of 2021 and 2022, addressing the gaps identified in the Technical Needs Assessment carried out in 2020. i.e., 1) low-carbon urban logistics, 2) LEV regulations, 3) charging infrastructure, and 4) e-buses. Montevideo not only benefited from the content presented, but was able to share initiatives that public and private actors are pushing forward in the city (e.g.: the charging infrastructure network and business models for e-mobility).
Between July 2nd and 8th, 2022, a SOLUTIONSplus delegation (WI, FIER and UEMI) joined the local team and held a series of meetings and workshops, where topics such as e-buses, charging infrastructure and multimodal charging were discussed with members of national and local entities, as well as with private stakeholders.
Additionally, Montevideo benefited from its participation in other SOLUTIONSplus CB instances, such us virtual and on-site P2P exchanges, site visits, expert advisory boards and international conferences related to e-bike sharing systems, low-carbon urban logistics, last-mile connectivity and e-buses.
Initiate
In Montevideo, the start-ups CargoBikeUY (5 e-cargo bikes), Wheele (3 e-cargo bikes) and GreenStar (2 e-tricycles and 2 e-quadricycles) received seed funding for the local design and assembly of different types of LEV, mainly for logistics. GreenStar will receive 2 Valeo drivetrains in a kit to be easily integrated in the e-quadricycles. In addition, PEM Motion, one of the companies selected in the 1st EU Innovators Call supported CargoBikeUY and GreenStar in the vehicle design. The 8 e-cargo bikes and 2 e-tricycles are finalised, pending only the 2 e-quadricycles. The second EU Innovators Call will focus on supporting the consolidation of Montevideo’s charging ecosystem and the retrofitting of utility vehicles. Finally, SOLUTIONSplus supported the city with the elaboration of a pre-feasibility study for the electrification of 1 bus line connected to the Ciudadela Terminal.
Implement
Component 1: Multimodal charging hub in Ciudadela Terminal
On July 6th, 2022, SOLUTIONSplus and the Julio Ricaldoni Foundation (FJR), one of the local partners of the project, hosted an event to present the progress towards implementation of the two components of SOLUTIONSplus in Uruguay and to launch the LEV prototypes locally produced by 3 Uruguayan companies. The presentation was followed by a workshop with the national and local authorities to discuss the actions needed to scale-up the previously implemented initiatives related to e-mobility.
On July 7th, 2022, the SOLUTIONSplus delegation that was on the ground (FIER, WI, UEMI) joined the Municipality (IM) and the Public Utility Company (UTE) teams in the Ciudadela Terminal for a site visit that was followed by a working session in the IM to discuss the details and next steps of the implementation. At present, the procurement process for the works that need to be conducted in the Terminal will be launched soon and the e-taxi chargers needed have been secured via the 2nd EU Innovators Call. Additionally, the local team is in conversations with UTE and Effiza, a local charging company, for the implementation and operation of the e-bus chargers and LEV charging options.
Component 2: Urban logistics
The urban logistics component was carried out with the support of the MOVÉS Project of the Ministry of Industry and Energy (MIEM) and the Julio Ricaldoni Foundation (FJR), two local initiatives pushing forward low-carbon mobility in Uruguay. For the pilot, two e-cargo bikes, one of each manufacturer, were introduced in the operations of PedidosYA, the Latin American subsidiary of Delivery Hero, for a period of two weeks (December 14th to 23rd, 2022). In these 2 weeks, 156 trips were made, 90 packages delivered with a total weight of 135 kg, and 187 km travelled. As a result, 86 kg CO2e were avoided.
Preliminary Results
Impact
The SOLUTIONSplus project in Uruguay is focusing its efforts on building a strong collaboration between local and European companies with the aim of consolidating the charging ecosystem needed for the scale-up of e-mobility in the country. Another important aspect in which the project has been in discussions with the local stakeholders is in the set-up of a national capacity building program on e-mobility for all education levels, which is in line with the Technical and Vocational Education and Training (TVET) Fund in Latin America that will focus on the energy transition in Uruguay. These aspects are reflected in the City Roadmap for Montevideo and will be presented in the scale-up concept.
