"The 'AI for SMEs' programme will trial two methods of increasing productivity in London's SME retail and hospitality sectors, through the adoption of AI 'chatbots' and marketing automation systems. These are products which can supplement and improve the customer experience, increase their marketing reach and effectiveness, and which are tried and tested means of converting enquiries/leads into paying customers.They are particularly effective technologies for retail and hospitality SMEs, which have similar routes to customer discovery, marketing and converting leads into paying customers. Moreover, though every company is different, the technologies themselves augment the value of existing employees and existing workflows, rather than replacing the need for human staff. Using a RCT, we are testing the effectiveness of two alternative methods of increasing the adoption of AI chatbot and marketing automation technologies. Stream 1 will use a market convening methodology, which involves matching SMEs with AI vendors via a series of events, and allowing the supplier market to explain the opportunity through case studies and live demonstrations. This light touch method is based on 'letting the tech speak for itself' in order to encourage uptake. Stream 2 is a more targeted intervention, which will provide SMEs with a £1,000 innovation voucher, which they can use to install, test, or deploy the AI technology, and access an expert caseworker. This approach is based on the idea that expert technical and business advice is needed by the SME to assess the suitability of AI as a solution to enable the SME to calculate the ROI and to assist with implementation. By providing external expert support we will see if we increase uptake of AI amongst SMEs, and to realise the productivity potential of the technology. A control group will be established, who will receive basic information about the relevant technologies as an incentive to participate, but no further support. They will be tracked and used as a baseline to assess the effectiveness of the interventions on technology adoption, perceptions and performance. Lessons from this RCT will provide valuable insight into the most (a) effective and (b) cost effective means of driving adoption of AI; whether education and convening is sufficient to drive adoption or whether a degree of 'hand holding' is needed when seeking to drive adoption of perceived cutting edge technologies. Moreover, the findings from this experiment will have value for other geographies, technologies and sectors across the UK."

The promise of flexible mobile energy storage & supply through V2G is no less than to turn each vehicle into a net carbon reducer. The challenge is to create a market mechanism that allows these benefits to be realised with business cases for EV operators and grid/energy users. E-FLEX will create a scale demonstration of a functioning V2G market. It will combine a number of fleets with variable duty cycles, a mixed hardware ecology, and diverse energy users (grid plus facilities) with a market design that captures as much value as possible as private benefit. E-FLEX will involve a mix of urban (London) fleets (parcel delivery, car sharing, police and heath service vehicles), totalling 200 EVs. The first phase will be oriented at fixed scheduling against known end user demand. The second phase will demonstrate a dynamic (near-real time) market operation. Vehicle use and V2G cycles will be fully monitored for analysis of market operation, including adoption, use, cost of operation, value captured, and battery and vehicle performance.

This submission sets out Gnewt’s Stream 1 proposal in partnership with the GLA. The trial will run from April 2017 to 2019. Gnewt proposes to lease 19 Voltia & BD-OTO, N1 & N2 vehicles for last-mile logistics that are potentially far better suited for urban deliveries. This project is a first of its kind deployment of innovative larger zero emission vans in London which will actively disrupt existing diesel fuelled vehicle technology and create a legacy for the future. The trial directly delivers the LoCITY & Mayor’s programmes to improve air quality. Our proposal is essential, as existing barriers won’t change while cost, data gaps, limited vehicle options and unproven claims remain. Proving the viability of these innovative vehicles in a commercial setting will allow OLEV, GLA & LoCity to collate robust whole life costs, mileage, efficiency & energy data which plugs the current data gap in policy making. Whilst leasing and operational costs are high versus diesel, demonstrating that these vehicles can successfully overcome current electric vehicle limitations will help increase demand and manufacturing supply, thus driving down costs. This type of data is essential for assessing the potential for city-wide scale up in London & other leading big cities. Data from the trial will help policy makers lobby government and other EU or international funders to secure further funding for electric vehicles and charging.

London's Demonstrator will bring together our world-leading expertise in the engineering, innovation and service industries to unlock the value from city systems integration, demonstrating at scale the exportable solutions that will transform cities of today into Future Cities. Our Demonstrator will stretch from the edges of the City, through the East End to major regeneration areas of the Lower Lea Valley, Greenwich and Barking Riverside, addressing the challenges of old and new cities: pollution, congestion, inequalities and growth, making this the ideal crucible for the Future Cities challenge. London will demonstrate digital and physical systems integration to deliver dynamic efficiencies, resilience, new business and employment opportunities, improved services, participation and quality of life. The Mayor of London will ensure the London Demonstrator delivers exponential value, learning and exposure to UK and global cities.

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