Dr Rahat Iqbal was invited to deliver a keynote speech on new mobility and smart city in in FEAL2018, a prestigious event aiming to introduce the automotive industry in the Big Data era.
The event was called “FEAL2018-The Future of Automotive in Europe” (http://fealautomotive.com/ ) and it was hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Lille France. FEAL2018 involved the entire automotive industry: manufacturers, suppliers, startups, clusters, institutions, associations, research laboratories, academics and consultants. Dr Iqbal was accompanied by the Chamber of Commerce of Coventry and Warwickshire, UK and was among the 20 key speakers of the event. Key speakers in FEAL2018 included representatives from world known companies like Toyota, Renault, Peugeot and Citroën and high-profile individuals such as: Luciano Biondo-president of Toyota Motor Manufacturing France, Xavier Bertrand president of the Hauts-de-France region and former minister, and Luc Chatel president of the PFA (Automotive industry and mobilities) and former minister.
During FEAL-2018, Dr Iqbal delivered a presentation for new mobilities and smart cities where he discussed the challenges and opportunities pertaining to the deployment of big data analytics and machine learning technologies in intelligent transport and urban mobility. Dr Iqbal explained the challenges for developing effective Big Data applications for the automotive industry, discussed the potential of Big Data and machine learning to deliver innovative commercial products and transform the automotive industry, and highlighted the changes that car manufacturing companies need to undergo in order to adopt to the technology augmented reality of today. Dr. Iqbal also presented Interactive Coventry’s current projects and ongoing work on Big Data, smart city, computer vision and driving assist systems. On day 2 of FEAL2018 Dr. Iqbal and Interactive Coventry’s Operational Manager Dr Tomasz Maniak, along with several members from the Chamber of Commerce of Coventry and Warwickshire took a special tour to visit manufacturers and suppliers’ sites. This tour included a visit to Toyota Motor Manufacturing France and Toyota Boshoku (Valenciennes et Somain) and a visit to Alphatech Plastic Omnium (Compiègne).
FEAL2018 is already a reference in the field of European events linked to the automotive industry of the future. Events like FEAL2018 promote economic development by supporting knowledge transfer and collaboration among key players in the industry. Dr. Iqbal’s and Interactive Coventry’s participation in FEAL2018 demonstrates the innovative and high impact work of IC and advertises Coventry University’s research on future transport and smart cities internationally.
FEAL2018 was a two-days event that took place from 20 to 21 of June in Casino Barriere- Lille (Hauts-De-France) and it was described as the meeting of the future Automotive Industry. The 21st century car manufacturing and large automotive companies witness the emergence of new tendencies and technologies and with them, it is necessary to reinvent a whole industry – addressing new technological challenges and creating new partnership schemes in an ecosystem that is more and more digitized. FEAL placed innovation at the centre of its agenda and selected high-profile speakers, who are in the heart of current and upcoming events. FEAL2018 aimed to highlight the profound change of the automotive industry’s role and relationship with the consumer and the end user in a world that is increasingly connected and urbanized. FEAL2018 agenda included major challenges and opportunities faced by the modern automotive industry such as: new mobilities and smart city: the challenges and opportunities for the automotive industry; autonomous and intuitive vehicle: uses and issues; vehicle electrification: technology, vision and impacts by 2030; the Future of automotive brands by 2030: from car manufacturer to mobility provider; the British automotive industry before and after Brexit; and the future of automotive industry in France