OEM & Lieferant Ausgabe 2/2019 - OEM & Supplier 2/2019 by VEK Publishing

125 Luxinnovation Luxembourg: a European testbed for smart mobility By Joost Ortjens, Head of International Business Development – Automotive, Luxinnovation As many cities increasingly struggle with traffic congestion and pollution, digitalisation opens the door for new mobility solutions. With an ambitious national strategy for data-driven innovation and an exceptional business climate, Luxembourg is an attractive test site for automated and connected driving and smart mobility. Luxinnovation www.luxinnovation.lu Website Luxembourg is one of the leading business hubs for automotive innovation and smart mobility. Known for decades as a major cen- tre for automotive components and home to multinationals such as Goodyear, Delphi and IEE, the country hosts a growing community of start-ups and established companies us- ing the latest digital technologies to develop smart mobility solutions and access the Euro- pean and global market. Cross-border home market The Luxembourg AutoMobility Cluster, which today counts around 50 members, is part of Europe’s largest automotive network of over 500 automotive companies extending over six regions in Belgium, France, Germany and Luxembourg. It comprises 7 large OEM man- ufacturing plants, the production and R&D facilities of more than 20 global automotive suppliers and 15 renowned research and technology organisations (RTOs) applicable to the automotive industry. Together, they create more than 150,000 highly qualified jobs. This network gives Luxembourg-based com- panies easy access to leading automotive producers and facilitates business and innova- tion relationships across borders. Companies are operating in a home market of 11.5 million consumers in four countries. Open innovation testbed for auto- mated and connected driving With a population growth of 40% and an in- crease in the workforce of over 60% in the past 18 years, finding innovative mobility solutions is a top priority in Luxembourg. In addition, the government is firmly committed to providing more environmentally friendly transport alternatives. In March 2020, Lux- embourg will be the first country in the world to make all public transport countrywide free of charge. Autonomous shuttle buses are also being tested in several locations. Companies and researchers working on new mobility concepts can benefit from the cross-border digital testbed that connects 215 km of public motorways and roads in France, Germany and Luxembourg. The testbed in- cludes multiple border crossings, tunnels, high-density traffic at peak times and much more, and operates with 5G connectivity. Lux- embourg provides permits for testing auton- omous vehicles that are valid in the region of the testbed in all three countries. One of the testbed topics is the access and reuse of data emerging from automated and connected vehicles, as well as from connected infrastructure and other road users. Luxem- bourg’s excellent ICT infrastructure is used for data communication, storage, analysis and en- richment undertaken with the support of high performance computing. Targeting the European market Another flagship project is the Mobility Inno- vation Campus in Bissen, located just north of Luxembourg City, which will house the R&D departments of several international automo- tive suppliers. The campus will offer shared facilities such as R&D infrastructure, meeting rooms, an events centre and excellent oppor- tunities for enjoying a good meal or a coffee break. It will also house an incubator for inno- vative start-ups and offer infrastructure for testing new mobility solutions on the site. Luxembourg can also be very interesting for innovative companies focusing on the auton- omous vehicle market that want to be close to leading German automotive industry players. Luxembourg is close enough to really under- stand the needs of the market, but still with enough distance for start-ups to keep their independent, innovative mindset. Images: © Luxinnovation/Marie De Decker Inauguration of the digital cross-border testbed for automated and connected driving in Schengen, Luxembourg Joost Ortjens

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