Siemens to help Smart Columbus

Siemens is making a donation to Columbus that includes connected-vehicle hardware and software technologies as part of the “Smart Columbus” program.

Siemens’ investment is valued at $385,000 and is intended to act as the foundation for the city’s future connected-vehicle efforts, enabling vehicles to communicate with traffic infrastructure and help to improve driver and pedestrian safety, reduce congestion and lower emissions.

The investment is by Siemens’ intelligent trafficsystems business unit, which

is part of the company’s Mobility Division of Siemens Corp., a U.S. subsidiary of Munich-based Siemens AG, an international conglomerate focusing on the areas of electrification, automation and digitalization.

Connected vehicles can have a big impact on safety, helping to prevent or mitigate 80 percent of unimpaired crashes, according to the Department of Transportation.

Last year, Columbus won the U.S. Department of Transportation $40 million Smart City Challenge after competing against 77 cities nationwide to implement a vision for how technology could help all residents move more easily and to access opportunity. Columbus also was awarded a $10 million grant from the Paul G. Allen Family Foundation to reduce greenhouse gas emissions through the “de-carbonization” of the electric supply and

transportation sectors.

“Investments from partners allow us to do more with the $50 million in Smart City Challenge dollars from the U.S. Department of Transportation and Paul G. Allen,” said Michael Stevens, chief innovation officer for the city of Columbus.

Connected-vehicle systems are able to communicate between vehicles and infrastructure and give drivers suggestions in real time about such things as speed recommendations, curve speed warnings or giving priority to car-sharing or electric vehicles, said Marcus Welz, CEO of Siemens’ intelligent traffic systems division in North America.

“With this connectedvehicle technology, infrastructure like intersections and streetlights will have the ability to communicate with vehicles, buses or even pedestrians to help drivers make decisions that can reduce congestion and increase safety,” Welz said.