Visitors from industry, government, and research travelled to the High Tech Campus in Eindhoven. They were welcomed by Brian de Bart, Director of System Innovations at NXP Semiconductors and one of the hosts throughout the day. “Our recently modernised building is a historic place for mobility. The same goes for the High Tech Campus. That is precisely why we chose this location today, because the high-tech and automotive industries are so deeply rooted here.”
DITM project coordinator Ana Alanis took the opportunity to once again reflect on the programme’s purpose. “Together we are working on a digital infrastructure with core technologies for localisation, traffic services, digital maps, and charging infrastructure. All of this forms the basis for higher levels of autonomous driving and for a cyber-secure, reliable connection between electric vehicles and the energy infrastructure. For our four-year programme, the European Union, the government, and industry have allocated 52 million euros. Three-quarters of that period is now behind us. So it is time to share with everyone involved where we stand.”
Within the DITM consortium, organisations from the international automotive sector, the ICT industry, traffic management, and mobility innovation work closely together. This integrated approach builds on the Netherlands’ strong position in digital infrastructure. Ana: “Especially in a country like ours, compact, well-connected, and innovative, we can demonstrate how a Cooperative, Connected & Automated Mobility system (CCAM) works in practice: safe, effective, cyber-secure, scalable, and brand-independent.”
Joining forces
Beautiful words. But have theory and practice actually come together over the past three years? “Certainly,” Ana affirms. “Automotive companies in particular have sought each other out more often to innovate together.” Brian gives an example of active collaboration between NXP and TomTom. “NXP provides the hardware technology, and TomTom specialises in developing navigation software and maps. By combining our strengths, we improve navigation and other traffic systems, for example, by combining GPS signals with radar technology. Useful for lane navigation, but also for the depot operations of self-driving buses.”
Jeroen van der Werf, Lead Smart Mobility at VDL ETS, is jointly responsible within the manufacturing company for the development of autonomous buses. In his presentation, he spoke about the ambition to have one hundred of these buses operating in Brabant’s public transport system by 2030. “Ambitious, but achievable, at least if sufficient financial resources are available.” According to him, the biggest challenge does not lie in technology, but in financing. “A constant flow of investment is needed. DITM is a wonderful project, but with only four years of funding, we will not manage. I therefore see DITM more as the starting point of a long-term programme.”
Investment is worth the effort
During the panel discussion with RET and RDW, it became clear that more work is needed to build public support for autonomous transport. Still, Jeroen believes it is absolutely worth continuing to invest. “As the European automotive sector, we are used to always having been an important player within the industry, but developments in Asia and the United States are currently moving incredibly fast. So sitting still is not an option. In fact, we need to step up. That is why new financial resources must become available, and companies must collaborate even more. Only then can we remain competitive as a sector.”
Increasing safety
This was also highlighted during the other parallel session on digital infrastructure, led by Roland van Venrooij, Director Advanced Engineering at TomTom. “The key to success lies in creating a strong ecosystem of collaborating partners and companies. Take the development of an open interface, for example, you need multiple suppliers for that. Data from satellites, GPS, and cameras is combined to create the most accurate and up-to-date maps. In doing so, we increase safety in transport and the surrounding environment. Within this collaboration, competition is not the starting point; instead, we focus on each party’s expertise. That is what makes your product more complete and better.”
After the in-depth discussions, demonstrations were set up in the hall and across the campus, from the self-driving DITM bus to a demo car from TomTom. There were also booths from other involved partners, showcasing topics such as radar localisation, digital twins, and lane navigation. This made it clear that there is not only a lot of talking, but above all, a lot of doing. And that is exactly what is needed now, according to Ana, Brian, Roland, and Jeroen. “We can no longer lean back; we need to seek each other out more often. Not only within the DITM project, but also afterwards. We truly need each other to take steps forward, so trust one another and strengthen each other’s expertise. That is how we, as the Brainport region, the Netherlands, and Europe, will remain an important player in the automotive sector, now and in the future.”
