Creating a smart city requires electronics solutions and technical expertise from all kinds of areas. Karl Lehnhoff, Director of Smart Grid at EBV Elektronik, believes his company is well placed here with its vertical market segments. He wants to implement future smart city projects in direct cooperation with cities and communities.
How do you define a smart city?
Karl Lehnhoff: For me, the focus is on developing an intelligent, connected and sustainable urban concept. We aim to reduce costs and energy consumption, whilst also improving quality of life in the city. People should always come first.
When does a city become “smart”?
K. L.: One essential condition is that the city collects a wide range of information about what goes on within it, and provides this information for all kinds of applications. What I find really interesting here is that there is already a great deal of information collected in cities, such as by municipal utilities or traffic systems. All that’s missing is a public portal, through which the information is provided. That means that currently, pieces of information cannot be linked with each other and made useful. This combining of information from different areas: that is where the intelligence of a Smart City really begins.
What makes the smart city so exciting for you as an electronics distributor?
K. L.: We already have customers who develop electronic solutions for cities, such as environmental sensors or traffic light controllers. So the market is not new for us. But the Smart City is bringing lots of new applications with it. These will surely require additional sensor technology. The most important thing is communications technology, so that this Internet of Things can arise in the city.
This brings us to the issue of data protection …
K. L.: Exactly. Cybersecurity is an important issue for EBV, both in our product range and when speaking to customers. We offer special security chips, for example, like those used on a debit card. These technologies are now also used in IoT applications.
The issue of data protection causes many people to treat the idea of the smart city with suspicion. They fear the transparent citizen. How can this fear be countered?
K. L.: Fear is natural when new innovations are introduced into everyday life. But if we cease innovating, we stagnate at a certain level. Also, think about how readily many people hand over their data on social media. This means that people’s fear can’t really be that big … But back to the Smart City – the data exchanged here is generally not personal data. Personal data, like that from healthcare applications, should obviously be nowhere near a public portal. But we certainly need definitions and standards for data protection and data security. Our customers need this too, by the way, so that they can develop their products accordingly.
What components does EBV provide for smart cities? Are there special electronics components here?
K. L.: Not in that sense, no, there are no special components for Smart Cities. But our product range already includes all the semiconductors required for the applications – from sensor modules and microcontrollers to communication modules and power electronics. Alongside this, our EBVChips range also allows semiconductor manufacturers to close gaps in their own portfolios.
Can you explain that?
K. L.: When we see an application for which none of our manufacturers offer a suitable semiconductor solution, we can develop our own, customer-specific chips. In communication in particular, we have already designed a whole family for wireless data transfer. These chips can of course also be used in Smart City applications. What’s special is the way we combine hardware and software here.
What does EBV offer beyond components in order to support its customers in developing smart cities?
K. L.: We have been organised in vertical market segments for many years. These are, on the one hand, market segments like Automotive, Smart Consumer & Buildings, Healthcare & Wearables or Smart Grid. These are complemented by technology segments like RF & Microwave, Analog & Power or Security & Identification. This lets us advise our customers on the demands of the various market segments. We have specialists capable of identifying what technology is best suited to solving a specific problem. For several years, we have even been going a step further with the Design Solutions, our own evaluation boards. This is where the Maren sensor hub was developed, for example. Various sensor modules are integrated into the board, such as light and proximity sensors, a digital microphone, or a temperature sensor, to name just a few. Using the right interfaces, it is possible to connect all kinds of communication modules. It is an all-round solution that makes it easier for our customers to get started. If they need a sensor solution for their product, this gives them a suitable system very quickly that is easy to integrate. We also have similar solutions for other sectors.
What technology trends in smart cities are you currently seeing among your suppliers, the electronics manufacturers?
K. L.: There is not one single development that is only targeted at Smart Cities. You have to look at it globally. A lot depends on communication, however. For this reason, virtually everything that can apply to IoT also applies to Smart City applications. A lot of this is not really new. But one clear trend is that systems are opening up, and more public spaces are being used for communication. When it comes to technological developments, these are above all modifications of existing solutions, with particular attention given to cost reduction. Sigfox is a good example of this. The aim here is not to increase bandwidth, but to reduce the costs in the application.
You just addressed the issue of standardisation in connection with cybersecurity. How do you see this in terms of the compatibility of the various components needed for a smart city?
K. L.: In my view, there is still too little happening here. The problem is that the various interests of the manufacturers play a role. Established players obviously want to make their systems the standard. But we need way more open, independent standards, especially when it comes to communications technologies.
Where is the best place to begin for a city that wants to become smart?
K. L.: First of all, you have to define applications that will bring tangible benefits for citizens, such as by saving time or money, or by increasing quality of life. For me, the first step is therefore to make the existing data in a city available to the public. At the same time, of course, you have to create a consistent and capable communications network to which you can connect sensors and applications, with access made available to both administrators and citizens.
Does this mean you enjoy every contact with a city that wants to implement a smart city project?
K. L.: We enjoy every enquiry. It helps us expand our horizon. The better the flow of information from all sides, the better the product will be and the quicker we will achieve the goal of increasing quality of life in the city while reducing costs.