|MAAS IN AMSTERDAM
Annual Showcase 2020 | Intertraffic World
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and reducing emissions from the vehicle’s
tailpipe, while not integral, fits with the
broader MaaS philosophy.
There are, however, a number of issues
to overcome for them to be considered
comfortable bedfellows.
“Obtaining accurate information
from EV vehicles can be
challenging, as it can be
affected by how well
charged it is”, says Alakteb.
“In the case of an EV
taxi, for example,
operators need to take
into account the distance
of travel, traffic levels
and total travel time
before dispatching a
vehicle with sufficient
battery charge to be able to
fulfil a booking and then
return to a charging station.
“It’s also important to
consider the infrastructure of a
city and whether this is able to facilitate
EVs. If there are not adequate charging
points, it can be difficult for the EV to provide data
and operate away from a central hub.”
Autocab developed a specific solution for
Schipol’s EV fleet to ensure they ran more
efficiently between charges. Working with Tesla
to enable onboard computers in the vehicles to
obtain accurate charge information – this
information then fed into an
algorithm, ensuring the nearest
available vehicle was dispatched
to fulfil the booking and also
be able to return to a charging
station. A login facility for
the EVs was also developed
so that drivers can quickly
swap in and out of different
vehicles at charging stations.
Team players
Autocab collects data from more
than 1.5 million taxis around the
globe on a daily basis, but as rich as
the data generated is, Alakteb is well
aware that to see the MaaS revolution that
Amsterdam envisages Autocab can’t do it alone.
“One of the biggest challenges we face in
implementing MaaS is the traditionally
fragmented nature of the transport industry.
Without doubt we need to encourage more
transport providers to collaborate – both with each
other and governments – in order to make it work.
“Partnerships will be essential so data can be
shared easily, and passengers are provided with
up-to-the-minute information on schedules and
availability of vehicles. Creating a single platform,
Above: Amsterdam
is already ahead
of many cities in
terms of multimodal
transportation – it
has a large tram
network and cycling
is extremely popular
200 The number of Tesla electric
vehicles on Schiphol Taxis’
1,000 vehicle fleet
Ochnael loefn tghees bwigeg feascte tirna dimitipolneamlleyn ftrianggm MenaateSd ins atthuer e of the transport industry
Safa Alakteb, CEO, Autocab