2025 Retrospective: A year of impact

As 2025 comes to a close, it marks a year of consolidation, learning and reflection across UEMI’s work. Several projects reached decisive moments: pilots matured, methodologies were tested in real conditions, partnerships deepened and, in many cases, initiatives formally came to an end while leaving behind knowledge and capacity that will continue to grow.

Across regions and thematic areas, a shared lesson became clear: progress is strongest when cities, communities, institutions and practitioners work together around practical challenges. Throughout the year, UEMI often acted as a conector, linking on-the-ground experimentation with policy relevance and ensuring that lessons learned could travel beyond individual projects.

E-Warmi

In Quito, E-Warmi demonstrated how electric mobility can become truly gender-transformative when women are placed at the centre of the transition. Over the course of the project, 198 women completed the training programme, gaining hands-on experience with electric buses, taxis and e-cargo bikes, and engaging in discussions on safety, operations and the role of women in mobility.

Beyond technical skills, what stood out were the personal journeys shared by participants. Many described E-Warmi as a turning point for their confidence and sense of belonging in the sector. With an average evaluation score of 4.83 out of 5, the programme showed strong engagement and satisfaction. Although the project has concluded, its legacy continues through the women trained, the partnerships built and the visibility given to women’s leadership in electric mobility.

MobiliseHER

MobiliseHER was implemented across multiple cities in India, with UEMI’s engagement focused on Kochi. The initiative placed strong emphasis on listening to communities, using a combination of surveys, focus group discussions and public events to capture everyday mobility experiences.

In Kochi alone, more than 3,700 people were directly engaged, including 2,323 household surveys, 31 focus group discussions involving 465 participants, and large public events such as the Urban Conclave with 300 participants. These inputs fed into conversations on accessibility, safety, first- and last-mile connectivity and inclusive transport services. MobiliseHER highlighted how community-driven insights, particularly from women, can meaningfully inform urban mobility planning.

E-Moviliza

In Quito, E-Moviliza focused on the operational realities of electric last-mile logistics. The project brought companies into pilot programmes using electric vans, supported the design and assembly of a cross-docking platform, and combined demonstrations with technical training and regulatory dialogue.

By 2025, 806 people had been trained in electric mobility topics, and 16 companies gained access to electric vehicles through the pilot phases. Real operational data was generated, including average delivery performance of 268.86 kg per hour, 40.57 km per route, and 15.5% battery consumption per route, while avoiding 9,516.89 kg of CO₂-eq emissions. These results, alongside direct feedback from companies and drivers, provided concrete evidence to inform future decisions on fleet electrification and logistics models.

BOOST

Throughout 2025, BOOST continued to demonstrate how skills development can act as a cornerstone for scaling electric mobility in African contexts. The project focused on building practical, market-relevant capacities across the e-mobility value chain, linking training providers, local companies and public stakeholders.

Activities spanned multiple countries, with hands-on training programmes targeting electric two- and three-wheelers, battery systems and maintenance, alongside broader discussions on job creation, inclusion and local value chains. Particular attention was given to creating opportunities for young people and women, ensuring that the transition to electric mobility also translates into fair and accessible employment pathways.

By combining technical training, stakeholder engagement and real-world testing, BOOST highlighted the importance of investing in people alongside vehicles and infrastructure. Even as the project is concluded, its curricula, partnerships and lessons learned continue to inform how cities and countries can align e-mobility ambitions with inclusive economic development.

TRANS-SAFE

Across African cities, TRANS-SAFE worked to strengthen road safety through a Safe System approach, combining policy alignment, capacity building and pilot demonstrations.

Capacity-building activities reached thousands of people. In Rwanda alone, over 3,620 police officers, teachers and students were trained in Stop the Bleed techniques, while 1,677 people received first-aid training for post-crash care. Demonstration actions across four Living Labs - Kigali, Cape Town, Kumasi and Lusaka - progressed strongly, with several pilots reaching over 90% completion by the end of the year. TRANS-SAFE’s work showed how systemic approaches and locally adapted solutions can strengthen safer urban mobility in the long term.

SESA

Over four years, SESA – Smart Energy Solutions for Africa supported sustainable energy transitions across nine African countries. A strong focus was placed on building skills and sharing knowledge, including the launch of six online courses covering areas such as solar PV, clean cooking, e-mobility and smart micro-grids.

More than 200 participants enrolled in these courses, complemented by regional workshops and Living Labs in countries including Ghana, Malawi, Morocco and South Africa. In parallel, SESA supported entrepreneurs through Calls for Entrepreneurs, selecting 10 initiatives from 27 proposals, with four reaching pre-feasibility stage. Although the project has ended, its training resources, partnerships and practical models continue to support energy innovation across the continent.

eBRT2030

For eBRT2030, 2025 was a year of preparation and consolidation. UEMI coordinated the launch of the International City Cluster, which attracted nearly 30 city applications from Africa, Asia and Latin America.

Following a selection process, four demonstration cities - Buenos Aires, Cape Town, Curitiba and Kigali - were chosen to prepare small-scale e-BRT demonstrations. Throughout the year, UEMI worked closely with these cities to define technical scopes and institutional arrangements, laying the groundwork for pilot implementation in 2026.

SCALE

SCALE focused on advancing smart charging and bidirectional Vehicle-to-Everything (V2X) solutions. In 2025, the project launched an e-course and contributed to a Policy Paper on Expanding Smart Charging and V2X Beyond Europe.

Real-world pilots tested bidirectional charging solutions across Europe, demonstrating that both the technology and user willingness are in place when systems are simple and reliable. The project’s final event in Utrecht (November 2025) brought together cities, OEMs and energy actors, reinforcing a shared message: smart charging and V2X are ready to move beyond pilots.

GEMINI

Within GEMINI, UEMI coordinated consortium activities and facilitated knowledge transfer across 42 partners, supporting cities in establishing Mobility Living Labs and testing new mobility services.

These pilots covered shared mobility, micromobility and active transport integrated with public transport. Alongside this, UEMI contributed to the GEMINI Academy, which combines e-courses, webinars and interviews to extend learning beyond individual demonstrations. GEMINI illustrated how local experimentation, structured learning and policy relevance can be brought together to support scaling new mobility solutions.

Le Mesurier and SmartCorners

Le Mesurier focused on improving how Europe measures the impact of zero-emission mobility research. Through common evaluation frameworks, KPI visualisations and analytical tools, the project helped bring clarity to a fragmented assessment landscape and contributed to shaping the long-term legacy of the 2ZERO partnership.

SmartCorners, meanwhile, advanced vehicle innovation through real-world demonstrations and research on in-wheel motor technologies and software-defined vehicle control. Events such as the EU In-Wheel Motor Demonstration Day allowed journalists and technical experts to experience demonstrator vehicles first-hand, bridging the gap between advanced concepts and applied innovation.

From projects to lasting change

Taken together, these initiatives reflect a year of applied learning, collaboration and evidence-based progress. Across regions and themes, 2025 reinforced the importance of grounding innovation in real contexts, listening to communities and ensuring that lessons learned are shared widely.

As UEMI looks ahead, the focus remains on supporting cities and partners in translating experimentation into lasting change building on the skills, data, relationships and foundations created throughout the year.