The City of Long Beach is pioneering a forward-thinking public-private partnership with Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America, alongside Mercedes-Benz USA Urban Mobility Solutions and Xtelligent. This collaboration is set to revolutionize urban transportation management within Long Beach and its surrounding areas, with a strong focus on enhancing both liveability and environmental sustainability through cutting-edge technology systems.
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Mayor Robert Garcia highlighted the significance of this initiative, stating, “This public-private partnership will keep Long Beach at the forefront of emerging transportation technologies. This project will showcase our city’s skilled workforce, provide more STEM learning opportunities for students, and represents our city’s continued commitment to building a technology-focused ecosystem.”
This ambitious project, slated to unfold over ten months, encompasses several key components designed to optimize urban mobility:
- Intelligent Intersection Control System: Testing and implementation of an advanced system to dynamically adjust traffic signal timing at selected intersections. This aims to improve traffic flow and reduce congestion, a persistent challenge in urban environments.
- Data-Driven Transportation Policy: Leveraging data analytics from connected vehicle fleets and existing city sensors to generate actionable insights. This data will inform future transportation policies and traffic engineering decisions, creating a more responsive and efficient transportation network.
- STEM Education for Future Innovators: A community youth workshop will be hosted for Long Beach residents and students. This workshop will provide valuable STEM learning opportunities, particularly for under-resourced communities, fostering the next generation of technology leaders.
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This partnership strongly aligns with the Long Beach Accelerator Program, reinforcing the City’s commitment to engaging with local businesses on innovative technologies and civic initiatives. Furthermore, it underscores the dedication to cultivating science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) opportunities for students within Long Beach, ensuring a pipeline of skilled professionals for the future. The planned community-based workshop, health and safety permitting, will be crucial in delivering STEM education to local students, with a particular emphasis on reaching communities with limited resources.
The project is also a significant element of Long Beach’s broader Smart City Initiative. This initiative aims to strategically utilize data and technology to address urban challenges and improve the quality of life for all Long Beach residents, making the city a more connected and efficient urban center.
The collaboration with Mercedes-Benz and Xtelligent directly reflects Long Beach’s vision for advancing environmental sustainability and promoting digital inclusion. By tackling transportation challenges, the partnership seeks to reduce congestion and associated emissions, contributing to a greener urban environment. Digital inclusion is also a key focus, aiming to ensure equitable access to digital literacy training, internet resources, technology devices, and other essential digital tools for all residents.
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Philipp Skogstad, CEO of Mercedes-Benz Research and Development North America, expressed enthusiasm about the partnership: “We are excited to partner with Xtelligent and the City of Long Beach to research solutions to urban transportation challenges. With our test vehicle fleet, we hope to provide key data to optimize traffic signal timing and reduce congestion.” This highlights Mercedes-Benz’s commitment to leveraging its research and development expertise to address real-world urban issues.
Data protection is paramount in this project. Mercedes-Benz, Xtelligent, and the City of Long Beach are jointly committed to responsible data handling. Data sharing will be conducted with appropriate transparency and consent, and any data shared with third parties will be anonymized and aggregated, ensuring privacy and security. This collaborative effort is being driven by the City’s Technology and Innovation Department, Public Works Department, and Economic Development Department, showcasing a unified city approach to innovation.
Michael Lim, cofounder of Xtelligent, emphasized the synergistic nature of the partnership: “This partnership represents the best of what a forward-thinking city, leading automotive original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and innovative venture can uniquely enable when collaborating towards a common, worthwhile goal. We’re excited to use our collective resources to develop and demonstrate how technology can improve the liveability, vitality, and sustainability of Long Beach.”
Following the pilot project, the team will thoroughly evaluate the outcomes and explore opportunities to expand and scale the successful initiatives, potentially bringing these innovative solutions to other urban areas.
About Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America:
Mercedes-Benz Research & Development North America plays a crucial role in shaping the future of mobility. With six locations, they are dedicated to envisioning, designing, engineering, testing, and certifying vehicles for both the North American market and the global stage. Their extensive work encompasses a wide spectrum of automotive innovation, from pioneering EV battery research to refining hybrid powertrain systems, developing cutting-edge telematics and autonomous driving software, and pushing the boundaries of vehicle design and user experience. Mercedes-Benz R&D is not solely focused on vehicles; they are at the forefront of creating advanced software, groundbreaking technologies, and driving impactful innovation within the automotive industry and beyond.
Mercedes-Benz Urban Mobility Solutions: Shaping Future Cities:
The Mercedes-Benz Urban Mobility Solutions division is dedicated to making urban centers more liveable. Their mission is to develop and implement safe, sustainable, efficient, and accessible mobility products that address the unique challenges of modern cities. By bringing Mercedes-Benz’s extensive mobility expertise to urban environments, they aim to create shared value for both communities and the company. This division actively collaborates with city officials, public transport agencies, and various industry partners to proactively identify and address emerging urban mobility trends. Their goal is to establish a world-leading portfolio of urban vehicles, data-driven mobility solutions, and citizen-centric urban mobility systems that cater to the needs of both present and future generations, ensuring cities are better places to live and move within.
