Cities across Europe face mounting challenges caused by urban logistics, including congestion, elevated emissions and inefficient use of loading and unloading zones. As part of EIT Urban Mobility’s Rapid Applications for Transport (RAPTOR) programme, Scottish startup Digiflec is optimising last mile deliveries by piloting a solution that will enable the Municipality of Trondheim in Norway, to have real-time loading zone monitoring capabilities.
Since its launch in 2021, RAPTOR has engaged 49 cities and startups, addressing challenges ranging from micro-mobility parking and active travel promotion to air quality monitoring and freight logistics. One of RAPTOR 2025’s selected projects involves Digiflec, a Dunfermline-based company specialising in LiDAR-powered urban monitoring systems. This collaboration between Trondheim and Digiflec for optimising last-mile deliveries is timely – coinciding with the 80th twinning anniversary of the cities.
Rising urban freight emissions
Urban logistics in cities continues to grow due to the rise in e-commerce and urbanisation. Urban freight makes up between 10-15% of vehicle equivalent miles of all traffic in cities and is responsible for 25% of urban transport-related CO2 emissions and 30-50% of other transport-related pollutants[1]. Delivery vehicles also often double-park or linger too long, creating congestion at loading and unloading bays, causing knock-on effects for traffic, pedestrians and air quality. Additionally, inefficiencies in load factors lead to an excess of delivery trips, elevated emissions, and increased congestion. Transport for London reporting shows the average load factor for vans in the city at approximately 38%[2]. Observations made in Trondheim, show fewer than 25% of delivery vehicles serve multiple recipients per trip.
Like many European cities, Trondheim is facing challenges in managing freight activities in its city and joined the RAPTOR programme, seeking a smart, scalable solution to optimise how loading and unloading spaces are used.
LiDAR sensors meet AI-powered insights
Digiflec’s Connected Intelligent Infrastructure Monitoring System (CiiM) uses LiDAR sensors to scan and monitor loading bays in real-time. The solution leverages real-time 3D spatial data and AI analytics to provide insights to cities and municipalities on how the infrastructure is used and urban traffic patterns. The technology can detect whether a bay is occupied or available, classify vehicle types and track duration of stay, and analyse patterns to inform enforcement, planning and logistics. The data is fed into an interactive dashboard for city authorities, enabling data-driven decisions about traffic flow, enforcement, and long-term urban planning.
A Scottish startup in Trondheim
The six-month project, beginning in June 2025, involves installing and calibrating the CiiM system in Trondheim’s city centre. Key benefits of the platform include increased efficiency for delivery companies who will be able to plan routes based on live occupancy data, reduced congestion and emissions caused by double-parking and idling, and data insights for smarter city infrastructure planning.
For Digiflec, the RAPTOR project and pilot is an opportunity to validate its technology beyond the UK, where it has already worked with Stirling, Fife and Dundee Councils, as well as major transport hubs like Heathrow Airport. For Trondheim, this project is an opportunity to align logistics operations with the city’s broader goals for environmental sustainability, smoother traffic flow and an improved urban environment.
RAPTOR: Bringing cities and startups together for innovation
EIT Urban Mobility’s RAPTOR programme is designed to accelerate how cities test, validate and adopt mobility innovations. An agile programme, RAPTOR supports cities to overcome mobility challenges by connecting them with startups with innovative solutions from across Europe that are then piloted in real-life urban settings. The programme focuses not only on piloting but also on scalability, so that solutions can be replicated in other cities, and help accelerate Europe’s transition towards sustainable, inclusive, and efficient mobility systems.
The Trondheim–Digiflec project demonstrates the power of innovation and pan-European collaboration in tackling today’s most pressing urban mobility challenges, such as optimising last mile deliveries. By leveraging LiDAR sensor and AI technologies, cities can gain real-time visibility into logistics operations, reduce emissions, and improve the quality of life for residents.
[1] https://www.ertrac.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ERTRAC_Alice_Urban_Freight.pdf
[2] https://www.ertrac.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/ERTRAC_Alice_Urban_Freight.pdf
