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An IoT Architecture for Sustainable Urban Mobility: Towards Energy-Aware and Low-Emission Smart Cities

Author

Listed:
  • Manuel J. C. S. Reis

    (Engineering Department and IEETA, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal)

  • Frederico Branco

    (Engineering Department and INESC-TEC, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal)

  • Nishu Gupta

    (Department of Cybernetics and Biomedical Engineering, VSB—Technical University of Ostrava, 17. listopadu 2172/15, 708 00 Ostrava, Czech Republic)

  • Carlos Serôdio

    (Engineering Department and Center ALGORITMI, University of Trás-os-Montes e Alto Douro, Quinta de Prados, 5000-801 Vila Real, Portugal)

Abstract

The rapid growth of urban populations intensifies congestion, air pollution, and energy demand. Green mobility is central to sustainable smart cities, and the Internet of Things (IoT) offers a means to monitor, coordinate, and optimize transport systems in real time. This paper presents an Internet of Things (IoT)-based architecture integrating heterogeneous sensing with edge–cloud orchestration and AI-driven control for green routing and coordinated Electric Vehicle (EV) charging. The framework supports adaptive traffic management, energy-aware charging, and multimodal integration through standards-aware interfaces and auditable Key Performance Indicators (KPIs). We hypothesize that, relative to a static shortest-path baseline, the integrated green routing and EV-charging coordination reduce (H1) mean travel time per trip by ≥7%, (H2) CO 2 intensity (g/km) by ≥6%, and (H3) station peak load by ≥20% under moderate-to-high demand conditions. These hypotheses are tested in Simulation of Urban MObility (SUMO) with Handbook Emission Factors for Road Transport (HBEFA) emission classes, using 10 independent random seeds and reporting means with 95% confidence intervals and formal significance testing. The results confirm the hypotheses: average travel time decreases by approximately 9.8%, CO 2 intensity by approximately 8%, and peak load by approximately 25% under demand multipliers ≥1.2 and EV shares ≥20%. Gains are attenuated under light demand, where congestion effects are weaker. We further discuss scalability, interoperability, privacy/security, and the simulation-to-deployment gap, and outline priorities for reproducible field pilots. In summary, a pragmatic edge–cloud IoT stack has the potential to lower congestion, reduce per-kilometer emissions, and smooth charging demand, provided it is supported by reliable data integration, resilient edge services, and standards-compliant interoperability, thereby contributing to sustainable urban mobility in line with the objectives of SDG 11 (Sustainable Cities and Communities).

Suggested Citation

  • Manuel J. C. S. Reis & Frederico Branco & Nishu Gupta & Carlos Serôdio, 2025. "An IoT Architecture for Sustainable Urban Mobility: Towards Energy-Aware and Low-Emission Smart Cities," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 17(10), pages 1-19, October.
    • Handle: RePEc:gam:jftint:v:17:y:2025:i:10:p:457-:d:1765018
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. Mariusz Kostrzewski & Magdalena Marczewska & Lorna Uden, 2023. "The Internet of Vehicles and Sustainability—Reflections on Environmental, Social, and Corporate Governance," Energies, MDPI, vol. 16(7), pages 1-20, April.
    2. Maria Trigka & Elias Dritsas, 2025. "Edge and Cloud Computing in Smart Cities," Future Internet, MDPI, vol. 17(3), pages 1-41, March.
    3. Silvia Mazzetto, 2024. "A Review of Urban Digital Twins Integration, Challenges, and Future Directions in Smart City Development," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 16(19), pages 1-33, September.
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