Minister for Transport Volker Wissing visits Karlsruhe

On Friday, March 1, 2024, Federal Minister for Digital and Transport Dr. Volker Wissing visited Karlsruhe to catch up on current results and ongoing mobility research projects. His visit to the Energy Lab and the Mobility Systems Center of the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT) included a ride in one of the FZI-Shuttles on the last mile. The ride was intended to give Wissing a personal idea of the pioneering opportunities of emission-free, highly automated, and networked vehicles.

The shuttles, developed as part of the EU-funded SHOW project, were tested for electrified and automated on-demand transport in Karlsruhe. Apart from offering active participation in research to the public, the vehicles impressed with their practical use for commuting.

Prof. Dr.-Ing. Marius Zöllner, Executive Director of the FZI Research Center for Information Technology, also gave insights into innovative mobility research such as the CoCar NextGen. The test vehicle, built by the FZI and equipped with various high-end sensors and innovative network components, enables extensive research on the entire German road network. Thus, the FZI can test cutting-edge research results directly in real life and all sorts of traffic scenarios, explore new approaches, and further develop software for automated driving. The vehicle’s modular structure allows a targeted adaptation to the requirements of research partners.

The visit of Wissing underlines how vital cooperation in politics and research is when it comes to developing pioneering, innovative mobility concepts for tomorrow.