DIGIT’s Top-trending Stories

E-scooters could help Glasgow commuters cut journey times

A new study from mobility specialist @INRIX shows #Glaswegians could get where they’re going faster if they opted for #escooters. https://t.co/VHOvn0qrJj

— DIGIT (@digitfyi) September 10, 2019

Glasgow residents could rapidly cut down their commute time if they opt to use e-bikes or e-scooters, according to research published this week.

A new study from mobility specialist, INRIX, shows that people using electric bikes or scooters could complete their journeys faster than – or equally fast as – regular vehicles.

The research ranked the top-five UK cities where alternative transport methods such as these have the most potential to reduce vehicle trips and transport infrastructure congestion. Manchester was identified as the top UK city which could benefit the most from increased use of e-bikes and e-scooters, with Glasgow ranked third behind Birmingham.

More than two-thirds (67%) of car trips in the UK’s most congested urban areas are less than three miles, INRIX research shows. Travelling at just 11mph, commuters using e-scooters or bikes in Glasgow could be capable of completing a journey quicker than vehicles.

“Given scooters are frequently used for trips between a half-mile and a mile, whereas bike distances are typically between one mile and three miles, if a fraction of short vehicle trips were replaced with scooter and bike trips, cities could reap significant benefits,” the study claimed.

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Plans announced for world’s fist tidal-powered data centre in Scotland

Plans unveiled today could see the world’s first tidal-powered #data centre built in #Scotland. https://t.co/S0LjAALhWt

— DIGIT (@digitfyi) September 9, 2019

Simec Atlantis has been working closely with engineering firm AECOM to explore the possibility of building a tidal-powered data centre in Caithness, which will be powered by turbines from the firm’s existing MeyGen site.

The proposed site, which is expected to be operational by 2024, will be connected to multiple international subsea fibre optic cables – offering a reliable, high-speed connection to London, Europe and the United States.

The company suggested that further connectivity to the central belt could “significantly improve” data and connectivity resilience throughout the region. Atlantis said the data centre could also alleviate constraints on local renewable energy development, which is currently restricted by grid capacity and the closure of renewable energy subsidy mechanisms.

Tim Cornelius, CEO of Simec Atlantis, commented: “This exciting project represents the marriage of a world-leading renewable energy project in MeyGen with a data centre operator that seeks to provide its clients with a large amount of computing power, powered from a sustainable and reliable source – the ocean.”

The MeyGen tidal energy project, located in the Pentland Firth, will require an additional 80MW of tidal capacity – in addition to the 6MW array currently in operation – to support the proposed centre. Thus far the array has generated more than 20,000MWh of electricity for export to the grid.

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Edinburgh smart home security firm secures £1.22m investment

Scottish home security tech specialist, Boundary Technologies, secured £1.2 million investment earlier this week. Find out more 👇 https://t.co/KOgq4gr9Bh

— DIGIT (@digitfyi) September 13, 2019

Scottish home security tech specialist, Boundary Technologies, has secured an investment of £1.22 million from Equity Gap and the Scottish Investment Bank (SID), the investment arm of Scotland’s national economic development agency Scottish Enterprise.

Cash from the investment will be used by Boundary to create several new jobs in software development, customer support and marketing, which will be based within the firm’s new offices located at WeWork in Edinburgh city centre.

Funding will also go toward the launch of the company’s innovative smart home security alarm, enabling Boundary to finalise the product and ensure it meets its official commercial launch date in 2020.

This latest investment swiftly follows the firm’s highly successful crowdfunding campaign on Kickstarter, which saw the firm reach its ambitious £50,000 target in less than 48-hours. The funding from this campaign is being used to certify Boundary’s product to the British and European standards for intruder alarms.

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Glasgow Council granted funding to convert gritters to duel-fuel hydrogen

£800k funding from Transport Scotland (@transcotland) will enable Glasgow City Council to convert 23 winter gritters to duel-fuel hydrogen. https://t.co/wtr10UJLPu

— DIGIT (@digitfyi) September 12, 2019

Glasgow City Council has been awarded more than £800,000 in funding to convert 23 winter gritters to duel-fuel hydrogen. By early next year, Glasgow residents can expect to see the larger vehicles operating throughout the city.

The funding, awarded by Transport Scotland’s Switched on Fleets Fund, marks a significant step for the council’s ambition for a zero-emissions vehicle fleet. The strategy aims to ensure all of the council’s 2000 vehicles are emission-free by the end of 2029 and to see the introduction of electric and hydrogen-powered vehicles to deliver crucial city services by 2030.

At present, the council’s vehicle fleet – which includes gritters, refuse vehicles, mini-buses and street sweepers – is ageing and in need of an overhaul, councillors said. Most vehicles are also powered by diesel which accrues a hefty annual fuel bill of more than £5 million.

Upgrades to the council’s fleet are expected to begin next year, with new electric cars being introduced early on in the year. Tower vans used to repair the city’s lighting columns are also set for an overhaul, while new electric road and precinct sweepers will be deployed around the same time.

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UK electric vehicle infrastructure to receive £400m funding boost

More than £500m will be invested to develop “green technologies” and boost electric vehicle infrastructure, UK Government ministers have announced. https://t.co/2koc2l9w9m

— DIGIT (@digitfyi) September 11, 2019

More than half a billion pounds will be invested to develop “green technologies” and boost electric vehicle infrastructure, UK Government ministers have announced.

£400 million will be used to boost Britain’s electric vehicle charging infrastructure, with £70 million allocated toward the construction and development of 3,000 charging points across the country – a move which doubles the number to 5,000 nationwide.

While the UK already has one of the largest electric vehicle charging networks in Europe, the government said this fresh investment boost underlines its intention to improve electric vehicle infrastructure throughout the country.

This latest investment adds to the government’s £1.5 billion initiative to boost the uptake of electric vehicles and end the sale of petrol and diesel vehicles by 2040.

A review is also underway to explore the provision of charge points across major road networks throughout the country. Longterm, these plans could see drivers charging their car en-masse whilst parked at service stations in the future.

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