Last May, during the 22nd and 24th, the final conference of the ePIcenter project was held, with the participation of the Port Authority of the Bay of Algeciras (APBA), represented by its Technical Innovation Office. The event, organized at the facilities of the University of Applied Sciences of Emden/Leer (Germany), brought together the project partners to present the final results, expose the different demonstrators in real environments and make a series of visits to the facilities of the Hyperloop Institute of Technology, the Institute of Maritime Technology of the university and the electric mobility plant of Volkswagen.
Led by the Port of Antwerp and funded by the European Horizon 2020 program, the project has been running for 48 months since June 2020, with the mission of developing innovative systems that can have a tangible effect on the creation of more efficient, resilient and sustainable logistics chains. For that purpose, the last work package of the initiative, presented at the final conference, has included the development of 3 large-scale business case demonstrations, based on disruptive technologies such as Hyperloop, Industry 4.0 and autonomous vehicles. All this, with the aim of testing new ideas and solutions and thus assessing the viability, sustainability, feasibility and benefits of ePIcenter’s tools and innovations.
The first demonstrator, “ePI-Link”, has addressed the integration of global networks and TEN-T from physical, logistics and information layers, to optimize multimodal cargo flows across a network spanning Europe, North America and China. Particularly noteworthy were the results obtained from the deployment of a major data exchange initiative to increase visibility and enable synchromodal optimization of the flow of goods, paving the way towards the Physical Internet.
Next, it was the turn of the “ePI-Node” demonstrator, focused on validating the impact of new technologies to optimize multimodal transfer zones in major nodes of the logistics network and their consequent impact on the global supply chain. On this occasion, the pilot tests of the T-POD, the world’s first autonomous electric truck, were presented, using Continental’s operations as a test bed, and the progress in the development of the Hyperloop technology proof-of-concept (PoC) using the Volkswagen Group’s operations as a test bed.
On the other hand, the results obtained in the design of extensions of identification “active tags”, using distributed registry technologies such as Blockchain, for Connectainer modular containers (a patented 40-foot container that can be separated and converted into two 20-foot containers while in transit, significantly improving empty management) were also shown. In addition, the work performed has covered different analyses, based on simulation and optimization capabilities of the ePIcenter toolset, to analyze the impact of the introduction of this new type of container and the increase of intermodality in the current TEN-T networks.
Precisely, it has been in these analyses where the APBA has had a relevant role, together with the semi-automated container terminal Total Terminal International Algeciras (TTI Algeciras) and the company ESES-Connectainer, thanks to its experience in modularization, digitalization and artificial intelligence. The results have yielded promising conclusions regarding the application of this disruptive container in favor of the reduction of operating times, operating costs and emissions generation, as a result of the decarbonization of transport.
The last demonstrator, “Artic”, covered findings gathered in the use of advanced algorithms and innovative research methodologies to better understand the impact of new Arctic and Silk Road routes. It addressed environmental and socio-economic factors, demonstrating improvements in safety and fuel efficiency in Arctic shipping through the use of AI for navigation and advanced propulsion management systems, minimizing the impact on this delicate ecosystem.
In addition to the excellent technical presentations by different members of the Consortium and the organized visits, the conference provided an opportunity to strengthen ties and explore future opportunities with the participating ports, freight forwarders, shippers, logistics operators, research centers and international technology companies. The Consortium is currently preparing the final project documentation for the European Commission, which is expected to be completed during the month of June.
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