This is one of the main conclusions of the III Edition of ‘Smart Green Mobility’, the conference organised by NAITEC and the Government of Navarre. The meeting that brought together more than 150 people in Baluarte and in which industry leaders such as BMW, EMT, Repsol, AEDIVE and VW Navarra presented their latest strategies and thoughts on more efficient, safer and respectful mobility.

 

Pamplona, 14 November. Leading companies in the mobility sector, such as BMW, EMT, Repsol, AEDIVE and VW Navarra, presented this Tuesday in Pamplona the future of transport: electric, intelligent and networked mobility. They also shared the latest strategies they are developing in this field for a more efficient, safer and respectful mobility model, as part of the III Edition of ‘Smart Green Mobility’, organised by NAITEC and the Government of Navarre, in collaboration with the Automotive Cluster Association of Navarra (ACAN).

The event, which took place at the Baluarte Conference Centre and Auditorium in Navarre, attracted more than 150 people and served as a meeting point dedicated exclusively to new trends in mobility and the automotive industry.

The event began with a speech by Juan Cruz Cigudosa, Regional Minister for Universities, Innovation and Digital Transformation of the Government of Navarre, who highlighted the importance of sustainable, connected and intelligent mobility, pointing out that “this is a key sector in the global commitment to reduce pollution and a fundamental pillar of the Navarre economy, both in terms of job creation and impact on GDP”.

In this regard, Cigudosa highlighted the commitment of the Government of Navarre to research in this field. ‘The Ministry of Universities, Innovation and Digital Transformation has invested more than 8.5 million euros since 2022 to promote innovation in this strategic area,’ the minister added. Cigudosa also highlighted projects such as the NaVEAC Drive-Lab, promoted by the NAITEC technology centre with 4.5 million euros of European funding. The role of innovation and cooperation in the automotive sector are fundamental elements in leading Navarre into the future of mobility,” he said.

Estibalitz Erauzquin, CEO of NAITEC, spoke next, stressing that the transition of the automotive industry towards the production of electric vehicles is unstoppable: “The transition that this sector is undergoing will have an impact on the entire supply chain and on society as a whole. It is a complicated time because it requires a great capacity to adapt on the part of all the players, but I am convinced that with joint strategies we have more opportunities than threats,” she said.

Following these welcoming remarks, the day’s proceedings were opened by a keynote keynote speech from Stephan Durach, Senior Vice President – Connected Company Development at BMW Group. Durach joined BMW in 1998 and has dedicated his career to the digital and electronic aspects of the automotive experience. He assumed his current role in 2020, helping to create the vision for BMW’s future digital experiences. During his talk, titled ‘Driving towards a smarter future’, he showed what the future of automotive mobility will look like and revealed some of the innovations the German company is already working on. Fully electric and connected cars with various digital devices will make for a very comfortable experience. But the key to success will be in creating personalised experiences, so it is essential that models adapt to the different needs of users, something we are already doing at BMW,’ he said.

Throughout the meeting, up to 15 conferences, 2 round tables and 3 keynote speeches were held in two rooms, within the framework of the two central themes of the meeting: Mobility and Automotive.

In the automotive sector, David García, Director of Planning Engineering at VW Navarra, emphasised in his presentation ‘The transformation of our factory’ that the company has to take on the challenge of producing an electric vehicle that meets the needs of customers. Our main challenge is to produce technologically attractive vehicles at a cost that the market can afford. I believe that electric and combustion vehicles will coexist for a few years, so at VW Navarra we have to be extremely flexible to respond to both realities,’ he said.

For her part, the Director of Industry and Environment at ANFAC, the Spanish Association of Car and Truck Manufacturers, Arancha García, in her speech entitled “New Challenges for the Automotive Sector in Spain”, explained that the sector that contributes most to the Spanish balance of trade has to undergo a major transformation in a very short time. To this end, she proposes working in four areas: specific taxation to promote the electrification of the fleet; prioritising the transformation of the sector with ambitious strategic plans; promoting the effective development of recharging infrastructures; and creating more efficient plans to support the purchase of electric vehicles. Never before has a sector had to face such a huge challenge in such a short period of time,” she said.

Meanwhile, other presentations took place in the mobility room, including ‘Electrification as a path to sustainability’, given by Beatriz Rodríguez, a senior technician in the electrical infrastructure department of EMT’s infrastructure directorate. She explained that Madrid’s public transport company is committed to the energy transition and explained the main actions carried out and future plans: The company is moving towards the reduction of internal combustion vehicles and has made a clear commitment to electrification and the use of green hydrogen in the fleet. However, our commitment goes beyond this and includes stations with charging points for energy produced from renewable sources, the implementation of vehicle chargers and the introduction of intelligent charging systems,” she assured.

Two round tables were also held during the day. The first was dedicated to the automotive sector and moderated by Javier Belarra, coordinator of the Automotive Cluster of Navarra (ACAN). He analysed the challenges and opportunities facing the sector in the face of the digital and energy transition. The round table was attended by Arancha García, Director of Industry and Environment at ANFAC; David José García, Director of Planning Engineering at VW Navarra; Rafael Aquique, Director of Axles & Electrification Operations EU at DANA; and Estibalitz Erauzquin, Managing Director of NAITEC.

The second round table on ‘Mobility’ was moderated by Nere Garmendia, Head of the Mobility Unit at NAITEC. The participants were Beatriz Rodríguez, Senior Technician, Electrical Infrastructures Department, EMT Infrastructures Department; Igor Beguiristain, General Manager of Lodisna; Mónica Castañeda, EU Project Delivery Officer of EIT Urban Mobility; Alejandro Astibia, Director of the Sustainable Development and Strategic Projects Department of Pamplona City Council; and Berta Miranda, Director General of Transport and Sustainable Mobility of the Government of Navarre. The discussion covered a wide range of topics, including the challenges of mobility, the need to reduce traffic in cities and the transition to autonomous vehicles.

The afternoon session continued with two keynote speeches. One was given by the technical director of AEDIVE, Javier Izquierdo López, entitled ‘Sustainability, energy, mobility, climate change and air quality’. In his speech, he presented the reality of energy consumption in Spain, with the development of renewable energy in recent years, and advocated the implementation of electric mobility to reduce CO2 emissions. Cities need to become more energy efficient and they have an exciting opportunity to do so. And to do this, it is essential to develop electric vehicles,’ he said.

For his part, Luis Santonja Menéndez de Luarca, Director of New Business and Strategy at REPSOL, stated in his keynote speech ‘Public charging infrastructure: a problem of quantity or quality’ that ‘in Spain we need to promote a public charging network that facilitates capillarity; we need a network that allows people to move around the country with peace of mind’. To achieve this, he called for a series of measures such as “greater flexibility in administrative procedures or an increase in the speed of response of energy distribution companies”.

The institutional closing of the meeting organised by NAITEC was led by the Regional Councillor for Industry and Ecological and Digital Business Transition of the Government of Navarre, Mikel Irujo, who stated that it is essential to develop both the transition and energy sovereignty, and that governments must play their part in accelerating electric mobility. In this regard, and in relation to the installation of charging points, he said: “The administration cannot stop the development of a market that we also want to accelerate. We know that we have room for improvement and that we need to be more agile, but we have to strike a balance, because we live in a very guarantee system, and we have to be very scrupulous in all the procedures’. Finally, he advocated “strengthening the ecosystem of industrial, training and technology centres in Navarre”.