MSc Dissertation Project
The Role of Smart City Technologies in Addressing Urban Air Pollution and Public Health: An Exeter Case Study

Executive Summary

This study, conducted in collaboration with Smart-H, investigated the potential of smart city and smart vehicle technologies to mitigate urban air pollution and its associated public health impacts, with Exeter serving as a case study.

As urbanisation accelerates globally, with 55% of the world’s population now residing in cities, a figure projected to rise to 68% by 2050, the health risks linked to urban air pollution have become increasingly urgent. Vehicle emissions, especially from diesel engines, are major contributors to this pollution, leading to serious health issues including respiratory and cardiovascular diseases. Smart-H are developing pioneering technologies, such as HydroDrive and QuantumDrive, aimed at reducing these emissions and are central to this study. HydroDrive improves fuel combustion by injecting hydrogen into diesel engines, thereby reducing harmful pollutants. QuantumDrive will expand on this capability, by enabling real-time adjustments to engine performance based on a vehicle’s proximity to sensitive areas, such as schools and hospitals. The integration of these technologies within a broader smart city framework holds the potential to significantly reduce urban air pollution and its associated health risks.

The research sought to define what constituted a smart city, focusing on how these technologies could address public health challenges. Previous smart city frameworks have often overlooked the profound impact that technology can have on public health, making this study particularly relevant. Through the lens of Exeter, the project examines how Smart-H’s innovations can dynamically reduce harmful emissions, enhance air quality, and improve public health outcomes. It also identifies which types of vehicles and roads would derive the greatest benefit, providing data-driven insights to support these conclusions.

The findings demonstrated that deploying HydroDrive technology resulted in significant reductions in key pollutants when applied to diesel vehicles on major roads in and out of the city, with the greatest impact observed in heavy-duty vehicles. Specifically, NO2 concentrations decreased by 5.53% in roadside areas, while PM2.5 levels were reduced by 2.55%. In vulnerable locations such as care homes, NO2 levels dropped by 2.31%, and PM2.5 concentrations fell by 1.62%. These reductions are particularly important given the chronic exposure of urban populations to these pollutants and the associated health risks.

In terms of public health impact, the implementation of HydroDrive technology is estimated to reduce mortality attributable to NO2 and PM2.5 pollution by 0.10 to 0.15%, respectively, across the entire Exeter area. This reduction translates to approximately three fewer air pollution-related deaths annually in Exeter, and when extrapolated to a national level, could potentially lead to 1,200 fewer deaths across the UK. While modest, this represents a meaningful improvement in public health outcomes.

This research highlights that even small reductions in pollutant levels can yield significant health benefits, highlighting the critical importance of integrating smart vehicle technologies within a smart city framework. The value of these technologies extends beyond environmental and economic improvements; they represent a tangible enhancement in the quality and length of human life, a metric that holds immeasurable worth.