VivaTech 2023 – Stand E40 Hall 1 Valeo and Equans sign a partnership to meet the challenges of cities

At a time when cities must transform to meet major challenges such as global warming, demographics and traffic density, Equans is working with local authorities in Europe and North America to design, install and maintain intelligent energy, transport and communication infrastructures. A world leader in detection and lighting systems, as well as in vehicle electrification systems and thermal systems, Valeo has the technologies to meet the challenges of tomorrow’s cities.

Equans and Valeo will work together to develop new solutions and services to meet the new needs of cities, focusing on:

• A connected urban space, safer for pedestrians and cyclists, with in particular the Smart Pole, presented at VivaTech on Bouygues stand (Stand E40 Hall 1)
• Optimized operation of data centers and energy storage facilities
• Development of electric mobility with charging and V2G solutions

At the signing, Geoffrey Bouquot, EVP Strategy and CTO Valeo explained: “At Valeo, our teams work every day to develop affordable safer, cleaner and smarter mobility solutions. Our technologies for mobility can find applications in other fields. We are therefore proud today to sign this partnership with Equans to identify these opportunities in order to help make cities safer, greener and smarter too.”

Thomas Jung, Executive Vice President, Operational Excellence, Innovation and Purchasing, Equans: “Equans works alongside its customers to meet the challenges facing cities and regions in terms of urbanization, safety, mobility, electrification and energy management. This is the framework for our partnership, with the aim of integrating technologies developed by Valeo into solutions that meet these challenges.”

Making urban mobility safer with the Valeo Smart Pole

The Smart Pole is an innovative concept made possible by French Tech. Created by Valeo in partnership with Equans, GHM, Eclatec and Lacroix City, the Smart Pole makes mobility safer for all users of the city of tomorrow: pedestrians, bicycles, autonomous shuttles, micro-mobility… Equipped with a concentration of Valeo sensors and technologies, the Smart Pole monitors its environment in real time and is able to inform pedestrians whether or not it is safe to cross. This innovation can offer new services to cities and local authorities, such as recording the number of cars passing by to provide real-time information on road traffic, controlling traffic lights to smooth traffic flow (green wave) or facilitating the management of parking spaces.

The Smart Pole generated a great deal of interest when it was first presented at CES 2023 in Las Vegas. With their partnership, Valeo and Equans will be able to combine their expertise to respond to calls for tenders from cities wishing to equip themselves with this type of infrastructure.

The two partners will also explore other possible uses for Valeo’s different types of sensors in the city of the future.

Optimizing data center operations and energy storage

Equans supports its customers in the specification and development of their infrastructure projects, including for hosting data centers. The performance of data centers is directly linked to their cooling, and technologies from Valeo, world leader in automotive thermal systems, can be adapted to this type of application. The two partners will thus be able to explore solutions for optimizing performance and limiting the carbon footprint of data
centers.

Together, the two partners will also explore ways of optimizing the operation of energy storage batteries, linked to solar panels for example, in order to optimize their performance, but also to offer complementary solutions to meet their customers’ needs such as energy recovery for heating buildings, for example.

Providing fast, safe charging zones for electric vehicles

As the use of electric vehicles and the associated charging requirements grow, Valeo and Equans are working together to offer safe and efficient solutions.

Valeo’s charging stations are compatible with Bouygues’ solutions and are designed for electric and rechargeable vehicles, both personal and light commercial, regardless of voltage. They enable charging at home, at work and at semi-public charging stations. Valeo’s expertise in thermal management is used to optimize charging speed while ensuring safety on board and around the vehicle. Valeo charging stations also offer intelligent energy management functions, such as charging when electricity is cheapest or when it comes from a green source, such as solar panels or wind power.

Equans specializes in solutions integration and electrical engineering expertise. It offers complete solutions for electric vehicle charging infrastructures, as well as customized IT applications for users, operators and managers. Its services include the design, installation and maintenance of charging stations, with activities such as power balancing, sizing, technical consulting, electrical connection, civil engineering and administrative procedures. Equans also offers technical operation services for monitoring charging stations, user services such as access control and energy consumption monitoring, as well as land search and financing services.