13 Apr 2022

Insights into the mobility of tomorrow: "Region is a pioneer in terms of sustainable mobility development"

The Karlsruhe Mobility Lab will be presenting itself for the first time from May 10 to 12, 2022 at IT-TRANS 2022.

The Karlsruhe Mobility Lab of the TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe (TRK) will celebrate its premiere at IT-TRANS. Through its partners, the Lab is already a globally recognized center for the development of intelligent concepts for the urban and regional mobility of the future. "A major focus of the Karlsruhe Mobility Lab is on the on the further development of local public transportation as well as the development of entirely new mobility concepts," explains Jochen Ehlgötz, Managing Director of TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe GmbH, "Researchers from the region are thus contributing region are contributing essential building blocks to the mobility revolution worldwide. The mobility and TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe can rightly call itself a pioneer in terms of sustainable mobility development."

Britta Wirtz, Managing Director of Messe Karlsruhe, is also convinced of the importance of the project: "The Karlsruhe Mobility Lab makes a significant contribution to the positioning of Karlsruhe as a mobility location, in which the topic of 'smart mobility' is particularly formative“, she says. „This core competence is reflected in the diversity of the exhibitors at the Karlsruhe Mobility Lab - a globally unique compilation of science, institutions, transport companies and industry. In this environment, the fan-shaped city is naturally predestined as a venue for congresses and exhibitions with mobility themes, such as the IT-TRANS, which has been held here since 2008. In this respect, we are also pleased that the current application submitted by Karlsruhe to host the UITP Global Public Transport Summit under the motto Smart Mobility Karlsruhe for the years 2025 and 2027 is supported by all important stakeholders in the region."

About the Karlsruhe Mobility Lab

In a unique ecosystem, science, business, the public sector and innovative transportation companies work together on interdisciplinary approaches. "It has succeeded that the TRK's stakeholders now appear together under the umbrella of the 'Karlsruhe Mobility Lab'", explains Lukas Kurzmann, TRK-UITP Liaison Officer. „This strengthens our activities both into the region, but especially outward." In the region, ideas for the mobile world of tomorrow are being created, put into practice, analyzed and tested with citizens. For example, the autonomous FZI Shuttle, which was used last year in the Weiherfeld-Dammerstock district of Karlsruhe to test the operation of networked and autonomous mini-buses for the last mile from the bus stop to the front door.

"The Karlsruhe Mobility Lab is developing groundbreaking concepts for the mobility of the future. With digital solutions, we are strengthening sustainable mobility options and making more comfortable," says Andrea Mohr-Braun, Marketing Director at INIT SE. „We at INIT are also working with great commitment to strengthen public transport in the modal split. Our IT solutions make the possibilities of digitalization usable - to the advantage of our customers, the transport companies, but also for their passengers." For example, ASSISTIVEtravel

Politics and science are also relying on this unique climate of innovation: for example, state institutions such as the Baden-Württemberg Institute for Sustainable Mobility and the planned future and the planned location of the German Center for Mobility. „As a university and research location, the TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe offers a unique density of mobility-related research projects and institutions", says Dipl.-Ing. Sascha Ott, Managing Director of the KIT Center Mobility Systems. „These have been in the 'Profile Region Mobility Systems Karlsruhe' to make this potential more visible.

A glimpse into the still somewhat further future of mobility is available at the exhibition with mu-zero HYPERLOOP. The more than 70 students from Karlsruhe and Stuttgart are working on functioning Hyperloop pods, which act as transport capsules will float through nearly airless tubes at close to the speed of sound.

In addition to the scientific community, several leading international companies such as Volocopter, INIT or PTV have their headquarters in the region and distribute "Made in TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe" successfully all over the world.

Much has already been achieved in the Karlsruhe Mobility Lab, e.g.

  • A convenient mobility platform that integrates individually usable means of transportation such as car and bike sharing as well as intermodal traffic control, autonomous first/last mile services in on-demand traffic,
  • cross-border mobility solutions,
  • a large-scale network of bike paths and innovative high-speed bike lanes, and last but not least
  • the globally acclaimed Karlsruhe Tram Train Model.

At the exhibition stand, the Karlsruhe Mobility Lab will also present to the public transport experts the concepts being developed for the future: the future of mobility, the future of the urban and suburban living, but also the future of digital support. Large parts of Karlsruhe's mobility vision will be on display at IT-TRANS:

  • The mobility portal of the TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe.
  • The mobility platform regiomove with numerous mobility offers as well as their expansion options for the future - from autonomous shuttles to tube-based to tube-based high-speed transport systems. The combination with the logistics sector: from the KArgotram to city hubs, cargo bike to delivery drones and farm loading streetcars that promote sustainable mobility and agriculture at the same time.
  • Other research and innovation projects that use digitalization to provide a information or functions for various stakeholder groups through digitalization.

The demonstrations in the Karlsruhe Mobility Lab go far beyond the presentation of concepts. Virtually all the solutions can actually be touched or even tried out for try them out.

Partners of the Karlsruhe Mobility Lab at the IT-TRANS 2022 are all major mobility players in the region. In addition to TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe GmbH, these are:

Automotive Engineering Network e.V. (AEN), efeuCampus Bruchsal GmbH, FZI Research Center for Information Technology, Karlsruhe University of Applied Sciences (HKA), INIT SE, Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) with the Performance Center Profile Region Mobility Systems Karlsruhe, Karlsruher Verkehrsverbund (KVV) with Albtal-Verkehrs-Gesellschaft mbH (AVG) and Karlsruhe Transport Authority (VBK), Messe Karlsruhe, mu-zero HYPERLOOP e.V., PTV GmbH, raumobil GmbH, Civil Engineering Office of the City of Karlsruhe, UITP Regional Training Centre Karlsruhe, Urbanloop SAS from Nancy and VeloCARRIER GmbH.