Milan, 8 May 2024 - Just a few weeks after the G7 Transport Ministers' Meeting, which during Italy's presidency welcomed transport ministers from all over Europe, Milan, the first city in Italy and seventh in Europe for shared and electric mobility, is preparing to host the second edition of NME- Next Mobility Exhibition, the event dedicated to solutions, technologies, vehicles and policies for an integrated, innovative and sustainable mobility system for people.

NME, from 8 to 10 May, will present a cross-section of an industry that is undergoing rapid change, with new vehicles, software solutions, digital services, and charging infrastructure.

A driver of development in built-up areas, the efficiency of which impacts on the quality of life of every citizen, mobility is at the centre of a massive renewal effort, also thanks to the resources put in place by the NRRP: almost 10 billion euros to enhance transport services and sustainable mobility in Italy (Source: OpenPNRR). Not to mention a crucial target set by the NRRP itself: increasing the modal share towards public transport by 10%, i.e. shifting shares of private travel to collective modes, meaning less congestion and more sustainability.

Organised by Fiera Milano, NME is supported by Agens (Agenzia Confederale dei Trasporti e Servizi - Federal Agency for Transport and Services), Anav (Associazione Nazionale Autotrasporto Viaggiatori - National Association of Road Transporters) and Asstra (Associazione Trasporti - Transport Association), the three associations that together represent 95% of the Italian public transport market. It is a collaboration that lends authority to the exhibition project and strengthens NME as a benchmark in the public transport sector in Italy.

New for this edition, NME will be held at the same time as Transpotec Logitec, Italy's leading road transport and logistics event. A choice that will make Fiera Milano into a hub for debate and discussion on the future of transport and mobility and turn the spotlight on two different markets, but which share common challenges, first and foremost the energy transition. An important offer with a total of 539 companies from 22 countries that will occupy a total of 6 pavilions.

THE OFFER AT THE EXHIBITION

An outstanding vehicle for both public and private transport, the bus is one of the key players in sustainable collective transport: in 2023 alone, zero-emission registrations grew by 240% in Italy (source: Chatrou CME Solutions), with 30% of new city buses registered in Italy being zero-emission, compared to 4% for cars.

Considering also the share of long-distance buses - intercity and tourist - the share of electrics in Italy is now 8%, double that of the private car sector.  

A sector, therefore, extremely focused on sustainability and innovation: not only electric, but also hydrogen. In Italy in the past year, the two largest hydrogen bus tenders ever held in Europe took place: more than 200 fuel cell buses will circulate between Bologna and Venice. The increase in the volume of alternative drive buses is thanks to the combination of funds from the NRRP and the Strategic Plan for Sustainable Mobility, which are together worth more than 7 billion euros, available until 2033 for the purchase of low- and zero-emission buses and recharging infrastructure, and 3.64 billion euros for the hydrogen sector. 

Alternative drives will therefore be the stars of NME's vehicle offering. Twelve European and global bus manufacturers have chosen the event to present their solutions for more efficient and cleaner public transport. Electric, biodiesel, HVO and hydrogen-powered vehicles will be on display.

The main innovations include urban and intercity vehicles powered by electric drivelines, as well as tour buses with new-generation active safety technologies, in view of the entry into force in July 2024 of stringent European regulations on the subject (General Safety Regulation 2). 

A need to which the world of components, now supported by Artificial Intelligence applications, is also responding in an important way: digital mirrors that overcome the problem of blind spots, driver fatigue and responsiveness detectors based on facial recognition, intelligent speed-assistance systems, automatic pedestrian and cyclist detection sensors, and many other features that will have to be mandatorily available on buses from July.

But if sustainable change necessarily implies the renewal of the vehicle fleet, the technological and digital evolution that is renewing the market is also central. NME will give ample space to technologies, solutions and digital platforms that are fundamental for the management of today's increasingly digital and integrated services. Modularity and tailor-made design are the key features of the offer, with scalable products for every need and size of system they will be used in, designing ad hoc solutions, enabling the integrated control of multimodal transport services, management of the new mobility paradigms and the maintenance itself. Solutions that enable fleet control, but also provide prompt, up-to-date information to passengers, for an increasingly complete and personalised travel experience.

The whole world of e-ticketing is one area in particular that is ensuring ever greater efficiency and a service built around the needs of the passenger, by developing complex and integrated solutions built around a single objective: offering a service that revolves around travellers’ needs.

Thanks in particular to the members of Club Italia, NME will take stock of MaaS - Mobility as a Service - which today, thanks to artificial intelligence applications, makes it possible to offer the user increasingly extensive solutions, enabling them to pay for a ticket that integrates several means of transport and - in the future - will include more and more services.

There will be no shortage of recharging infrastructure, essential for the growing fleet of electric buses, but also for battery-powered cars, a field which is slowly but steadily expanding. One of the advantages offered by the exhibitors of this type of solution is the increasingly easy installation of the infrastructure, which allows it to be applied in any environment and for any type of vehicle.

Finally, thanks to the simultaneous staging of Transpotec Logitec, it will be possible to keep up to date with the ever-changing and increasingly green world of fuels: Biofuels and HVO are a viable and sustainable alternative to fossil fuels and are already available on the market.

KNOW-HOW ALSO PASSES THROUGH THE CONFERENCES

Next Mobility Exhibition 2024 will offer a packed 3-day conference calendar focusing on the industry's major challenges: energy transition, digitalisation and innovation.

Kicking off the packed calendar of events will be the joint inaugural event by Next Mobility Exhibition and Transpotec Logitec, which, thanks to the contribution of the main players in these two sectors, will offer a major opportunity to reflect on the present and future of goods and passenger transport, two parallel worlds that share many common challenges.

Created and designed with the supervision of a Scientific Technical Committee which includes authoritative personalities from the academic world, the Ministry of Transport and the major associations and entities working in the sustainable mobility sector, the schedule of events at NME is based on two lines of reference: Sustainable and innovative urban mobility and Public transport, energy transition and digitalisation.

Over three days, thanks to the contribution of leading academic institutions – two unpublished studies presented by Milan Polytechnic – and the main associations in the sector, the topics for discussion will include the state of the art of Local Public Transport, national strategies for bus transport and tourism, electronic ticketing and the advent of AI, fare levers, but also electrified cities, European regulations, big data management, and energy transition.

A unique opportunity for those involved in passenger transport to take stock of the market and its prospects, thanks to the contribution of national and international stakeholders.

The full programme of conferences and training events can be found at the link: https://www.nextmobilityexhibition.com/eventi.html

AN EXHIBITION WITH SUSTAINABLE DNA

With the aim of reaffirming its support for sustainability policies and practices at its exhibition dedicated to sustainable mobility, Fiera Milano has initiated the measurement of NME's carbon footprint, by associating the individual stages of the event with its sources of emissions. In total, the 2024 event is estimated to generate 929 tonnes of CO₂ (data processed by Rete Clima in cooperation with Fiera Milano). This analysis will enable NME to undertake targeted and quantifiable efficiency actions with the aim of reducing its environmental impacts for future editions.

NME's commitment is part of the broader framework of Fiera Milano's participation in the global Net Zero Carbon Events initiative, which brings together trade fair operators with the aim of defining a common roadmap for the decarbonisation of events.