Julie Wurtz, Author at Smarter Mobility Africa

Julie Wurtz

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19 October 2022

All Systems Go for World Class Formula E Racing in Cape Town in 2023

Cape Town, South Africa, October 19, 2022.

Following ratification of the ABB FIA Formula E World Championship’s Season 9 calendar by the Fe?de?ration Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA), e-Movement (Pty) Ltd and Formula E have today confirmed Cape Town will host its first ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race on 25 February 2023.

e-Movement (Pty) Ltd and Formula E entered into a multi-year agreement to host the world’s only all- electric FIA World Championship in 2021 and remain committed to delivering a world-class event.

Alberto Longo, Co-founder and Chief Championship Officer of Formula E said: “We are excited to announce Cape Town as a new destination for our series in Season 9. Our local partners are working incredibly hard to bring an ABB FIA Formula E World Championship race to the city and we cannot wait to see the futuristic Gen3 race cars competing against the iconic natural backdrop of Table Mountain.”

In the lead up to the race, Cape Town will host E-Fest Cape Town – a 10-day themed festival of activities and events showcasing e-mobility. It serves as a celebration of Go Green Africa, a shared mission founded by organizations committed to playing a meaningful role in helping to accelerate Africa’s transition to a “Green Economy” in a just and inclusive way.

E-Fest Cape Town will consist of various activities advocating for electric mobility including:

evrt Africa: an all-electric vehicle road trip across South Africa.
ELECTRIC: an electric festival featuring all things electric, EV’s, motorbikes, one-wheeler scooters, bicycles, and charging solutions.
E-Fest Golf Classic: a championship-standard golf invitational event.
Africa’s Green Economy Summit (AGES): showcases and connects global capital with African Green Economy opportunities.

Iain Banner, the Chairman of race promoters e-Movement (Pty) Ltd, said: “Great things are created by great people. And Formula E coming to Cape Town is a great thing. The great people who made this possible include The Mayor of Cape Town, Geordin Hill-Lewis (and his predecessor Dan Plato); Alderman JP Smith); and the entire team at the City. Also on board driving this incredible initiative are Western Cape Premier Alan Winde and his executive, including Minister of Sport Anroux Marais; and of course Formula E co-Founder and Chief Championship Officer Alberto Longo and his international team. Lastly from e-Movement my partner Bruce Forsyth and our whole organisation, andour very supportive shareholders.”

“After three years of planning and navigating Covid, Formula E Cape Town is a reality. When we started this journey, I said to Alberto that I was confident we will deliver a top 3 race on the FE Calendar. Mostly because of Cape Town’s natural beauty and the track that will be ready mid December. That manifestation is something I remain confident about. And finally, the e-Prix is the celebration at the end of a 10-day Go Green Africa legacy activation including an Electric Vehicle Road trip from Tshwane to Cape Town, the Electric e-mobility festival adjacent to the race track, and Africa’s Green Economy Summit taking place at Century City Convention Centre. Our mission is to make a positive contribution to South Africa through the deliver of all the above. And I believe we are almost there”, Banner continues.

Cape Town Mayor Geordin Hill-Lewis said, “The City of Cape Town views Formula E as a key event that could go a long way in cementing Cape Town’s position among the most progressive cities in the world. The Western Cape already has a strong green economy ecosystem which we have worked hard to cultivate, and the E-Prix, along with the African Green Economy Summit, will only serve to strengthen and grow this sector. We are committed to working with e-Movement to ensure that Cape Town delivers a spectacular event early next year.”

Bruce Parker-Forsyth, Managing Director of the local delivery agency of the event Live Company Sports and Entertainment part of Live Company Group Plc said, “LCSE is extremely proud to be delivering an event of this caliber to the South African public. Plans are well underway for us to host the maiden race here, and we are working closely alongside the City of Cape Town and Formula E Operations delivery teams to deliver a prestigious, world-class spectacle of motor racing like never seen before in our City”

Tickets to the first Cape Town E-Prix will be released soon. In the meantime, register your interest at www.capetowneprix.com to get all the latest race and ticketing information delivered to your inbox. For updates on the event follow the Cape Town E-Prix on:

Facebook @CapeTownEprix
Instagram @capetowneprix
Twitter @capetowneprix

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24 August 2022

Smarter Mobility Africa Summit to showcase latest start-ups in the mobility industry

Julie Wurtz News, Non classé

Smarter Mobility Africa Summit to showcase latest start-ups in the mobility industry

A partnership with the Gauteng Provincial Department of Roads and Transport and the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research is driving the Smarter Mobility Africa Summit’s (SMA) mission of unlocking full economic, social, and environmental opportunities in Africa.

This October, African Mobility Month and South African October Transport Month will be marked by a full-scale in-person event covering every aspect of the mobility industry, from public transport to electric vehicles & battery tech, and from Data, Mapping, and GIS to Urban Logistics

The SMA summit, which will take place at the CSIR International Convention Centre in Pretoria from 5 – 7 October, also features a collaboration between Smarter Mobility Africa and Arigo Investments to showcase the latest start-ups in the mobility industry. Over 50 start-ups will have a chance to exhibit at the Arigo Startup Village free of charge.

By connecting start-ups with a global and local audience of businesses, investors, governments, and media, the SMA summit is Africa’s platform for start-ups in mobility. Those who wish to grow their business and create jobs will find this opportunity to be incredibly beneficial. Investors seeking the next big deal, businesses on the lookout for innovative teams or solutions to partner with or acquire, the media trying to communicate the future with their audience, and Government looking for the most effective on-the-ground solutions to mobility problems will be in attendance. Therefore, the SMA Summit 2022 is a must-attend if you’re a mobility start-up.

Gauteng government has its eyes set on changing mobility patterns

Gauteng MEC for Public Transport and Roads Infrastructure Jacob Mamabolo says technology plays an instrumental role in modernising public transport systems, including taxis. This, however, cannot be accomplished without partnerships with the private sector. The provincial department launched its vision for growing Gauteng’s economy and changing mobility patterns in 2020. “The Smarter Mobility Africa summit is a great opportunity to learn about electric power technologies, digitalisation, and automation. We are motivated to transform lives and thrive through these technologies.” He continues, “The goal is to make mobility convenient by integrating public transportation and building smart infrastructure that uses technology to create a smart transportation network.”

Climate change pressures are expected to be reduced by smarter mobility, says Transport Minister Fikile Mbalula. “The World Bank suggests that transport in the near future will be characterised by being ‘connected, data-driven, shared, on demand, electric and highly automated’. These changes in transport technologies are consequently in tandem with the notion of global climate change, as a consequence of the combustion of fossil fuels by most vehicles.” He continues: “This remains a major environmental challenge currently facing Southern Africa and the world at large. The large-scale combustion of fossil fuels also contributes to the change in the composition of the earth’s atmosphere. The result is a general process of global warming and, if continued unattended, will lead to significant changes in rainfall patterns and frequent, extreme weather events.”

According to Ben Pullen, Founder, and Chairman of Smarter Mobility Africa, the three-day summit will help facilitate the integration of direct and indirect mobility stakeholders. Moreover, the audience will be exposed to an immersive world of mobility ideas and innovations, and attract and drive investments in Africa for startups, SMEs, corporations, and governments. “The event also presents an opportunity to share information on success and failure in the transport sector across Africa and worldwide. The goal is to inspire the continent to build an even smarter mobility Africa and make this the best decade of mobility and life enhancement ever.”

Ben adds, “Throughout the world, transportation is the connector to everything. There is a real need to ensure that the way people and goods are moved is done in a smarter way to increase opportunities rather than limit them. A complete revolution in transportation has happened everywhere in the last ten years, including South Africa and Africa.”

A string of knowledgeable speakers at the summit

Some of the global speakers have been revealed for SMA summit with more announced each week, including Western Cape Minister of Mobility Daylin Mitchell; Founder of Electric Drive Africa Dr. Remeredzai Kuhudzai; Co-Founder of Mobility Centre for Africa, Victor Radebe; Chris Kost, Director of the Institute for Transport and Development Policy’s African Program; Mzikhona Mgedle, the Managing Director of Langa Bicycle Hub; and Edem Foli, the Program Manager at uYilo e-mobility.

Providing a holistic view of mobility, the SMA summit which will host 1200 guests, 100 exhibitors and have 15 themes, offers a comprehensive overview of the fastest-growing industry in the world. By implementing an integrated transport system that serves everyone, the event seeks to unlock the full potential of social, environmental, and economic development in Africa. To ensure that the most relevant stakeholders are connected, it creates networking opportunities between businesses and governments to accelerate the adoption of smarter mobility solutions.

Register to attend

The Smarter Mobility Africa Summit 2022 will showcase groundbreaking products and services along with test drives and test rides, site visits, and a range of networking opportunities. Click here to register to attend this exciting exhibition or for information on the Start-Up Village.