Keynote Speech IV by Reinhard Klette

Summary form only given. The talk reports about two imminent revolutions in the automative history which will define the the on-road traffic in the smart city of the near future. Both revolutions are already starting to happen, and those cities which will prepare for their event will make the best possible use of them. The first revolution is the replacement of the manually steered vehicle by increasingly autonomously driving vehicles while driving on densly populated roads. Examples of goals are here to go towards zero-accident traffic and a more efficient use of existing road systems. Dense and autonomous traffic will reduce the need for additional roads, and avoid traffic jams by ensuring a steady flow of traffic. The second revolution is the replacement of gasoline powered vehicles by electric cars. Electric cars are completely emission free if charged from renewable energy sources; they also drive silent at low speeds, have significantly cheaper running costs, and also significantly cheaper servicing cost. Autonomous driving and electric vehicles will come, earlier or later, and both developments can benefit from smart city infrastructure projects for supporting their introduction. The talk reports about advances towards autonomous driving, and a city-wide study about the introduction of electric cars in Perth, Western Australia. The talk is coauthored by Prof. Thomas Braeunl, The University of Western Australia.