The event was attended by the European ITS Congress delegates and members of the public who were all invited to test-drive a number of intelligent mobility demos, including self-parking cars, cars equipped with emergency autonomous braking, and electric cars. The highlight was the ecodriving competition, whereby everyone could take a short drive in Helsinki and see how their energy-efficient driving skills compare to those of a professional F1 driver.

 

The event was opened by Minna Kivimaki, representing the Finnish Ministry of Transport; Zoran Stancic, Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s DG Connect; Martti Merilinna, Autoliitto President; Jean Todt, FIA President; and Finnish Formula1 driver Valtteri Bottas.

 

Zoran Stancic, Deputy Director General of the European Commission’s DG Connect said: “Digital technologies are key enablers for taking the next steps in realising truly cooperative Intelligent Transport Systems which connect vehicles and infrastructure so that they can communicate continuously. This will help cars to find the best route , to avoid congestion and even to prevent collisions. Awareness campaigns are very useful and powerful tools to support the large-scale deployment of digital systems for safe, efficient and sustainable mobility. iMobility Challenge events are a great platform for this purpose."

 

Valtteri Bottas said: “The road is not the race track, so when I drive in the city I aim to drive in a safe and efficient manner. It is great that modern technologies help drivers understand how their driving style affects their energy consumption, and make responsible driving fun.”