After three years of years of research and testing, the PoDIUM project has reached its conclusion. The vision behind the project was clear: automated and connected mobility needs a strong foundation to operate safely, reliably, and cooperatively.
PoDIUM focused on advancing the integration of the Physical and Digital Infrastructure (PDI), enabling vehicles to communicate seamlessly with the infrastructure for safer and more efficient mobility. Coordinated by ERTICO partner ICCS, PoDIUM explored key aspects such as connectivity, cooperation, data management, interoperability, and reliability to reach higher levels of automation.
Throughout its journey, the project advanced research in multi-connectivity for PDI, data fusion, and the integration of Multi-access Edge Computing (MEC) into dynamic Digital Twin models. PoDIUM demonstrated these innovations in real-life conditions in three Living Labs in Germany, Italy, and Spain.
“It has been a privilege for ERTICO to participate and contribute to this inspiring project, aligning with PoDIUM’s vision of a safer, resilient, and sustainable future mobility,” says Dr. Nikolaos Tsampieris, ERTICO Co-Head of Transport for Logistics.
Where technology meets the road: PoDIUM’s Living Labs in action
PoDIUM validated five advanced use cases in its three Living Labs, showing how PDI technologies can make roads safer, reduce the risk of incidents, protect Vulnerable Road Users (VRUs), and optimise traffic management, even in complex situations.
In Germany, PoDIUM showcased cooperative corridor management to improve safety and efficiency. In situations when a lane is blocked by a stopped vehicle, the system enables vehicles and VRUs approaching from both directions to cooperate. The vehicle in the clear lane gives way to the one behind the obstacle, allowing traffic to continue smoothly. The use case uses onboard sensors and infrastructure sensors and relies on different communication technologies to improve availability and reliability.
At the Spanish Living Lab, two use cases explored the benefits of real-time communication between vehicles and the infrastructure. In Barcelona, the PoDIUM demonstration showcased emergency vehicle prioritisation, where a firefighter vehicle is given priority through coordinated traffic lights, optimised routing, and alerts to surrounding CAVs and VRUs in case of potential risk. The second use case took place on the C32 highway near Barcelona and explored continuous data exchange between CAVs and the infrastructure to maintain safety and efficiency in daily commuting situations and in case of incidents. The demonstration included cross-border data continuity and coordination between traffic management centres, an on-demand automated shuttle service, and a VRU Safety application.
The demonstrations in Italy centred on urban and tunnel safety. In Turin, the project demonstrated an infrastructure-based application that that helps CAVs and VRUs navigate busy intersections safely using trusted data from roadside sensors, C-ITS infrastructure, and traffic lights, all fused through a digital twin. PoDIUM also showcased continued cooperative services inside tunnels, where satellite signal in unavailable. On a Brenner Motorway tunnel, sensors, digital twins, and advanced infrastructure-based positioning systems ensured reliable vehicle tracking and real-time guidance to drivers inside the tunnel.
PoDIUM Final Event: closing a chapter and looking ahead
PoDIUM celebrated its achievements with a Final Event in Barcelona on 19 November. Industry representatives, local authorities, government agencies, SMEs, and partners from other EU-funded CCAM initiatives gathered to review the project's accomplishments and discuss the next steps for CCAM deployment in urban and highway settings, drawing from the PoDIUM challenges and lessons learned.
The PoDIUM results highlight that safe and efficient automated driving requires the combination of physical and digital infrastructure for real-time data sharing and collective environment perception. ERTICO and the PoDIUM partners remain committed to ensuring that the project’s outcomes continue to support CCAM implementation and advance the broader goal of safe and efficient mobility in Europe.
