News

09/25/2025

Regional Conference on the Mobility Transition 2025

Transnational ideas, autonomous systems, and smart data at the heart of the regional conference in Karlsruhe

Research Focus: Intelligent Transportation Systems and Logistics

The 8th Regional Conference on Mobility Transition, a joint event organized by the Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion (TRK) and the Rhine-Neckar Metropolitan Region (MRN), took place on September 23, 2025, at the Gartenhalle Karlsruhe under the motto “Intelligent Mobility – Innovations and AI for the Future.” Approximately 500 participants, 40 speakers, and 30 exhibitors attended the event. Successful mobility projects were presented and discussed together with high-ranking representatives from politics, science, and business. The focus was particularly on the opportunities and challenges for future mobility resulting from the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI).

Kick-off and initial momentum

Following the opening by TRK Managing Director Jochen Ehlgötz and Dr. Doris Wittneben, Head of MRN’s Zukunftsfelder und Innovation (Future Fields and Innovation) division, City Planning Officer Frauke Burgdorff provided insights into the mobility strategy of the city of Aachen, emphasizing: “Our task is to make mobility easy for people by taking them on a journey through a well-designed city.” The morning program included further keynote speeches and panel discussions. In the first panel discussion, participants from local politics presented successful concepts that enable forward-looking mobility despite limited budgets, but also discussed openly and honestly the tense budget situation of local authorities. The Chairman of the Supervisory Board of TRK GmbH and Mayor of the City of Karlsruhe, Dr. Frank Mentrup, emphasized: “Despite the tense situation, the meeting of committed experts once again reveals optimism for the future and a willingness to change to make cities more livable and at the same time more mobile. This shared emotion and the emerging network demonstrate the great strength of the Regional Conference on the Mobility Transition.” The mayor of the city of Strasbourg, Joël Steffen, also emphasized: “It is important for us that cross-border infrastructures and networks are further developed. Here, the regional conference has facilitated exchange and provided exciting impetus – also about possible financing concepts.” The deputy mayor of Ludwigshafen, Alexander Thewalt, also made it clear: “We should make good use of the available space. What makes a street livable for everyone? Shade is important for pleasant stays. This quickly brings us to the highly emotional discussion: parking spaces or trees?”

Focus on autonomous traffic

In the keynote speech by Magdalena Linnig, Managing Director of Stadtverkehr Friedrichshafen, and in the subsequent second panel discussion, mobility experts from science and industry highlighted autonomous transport systems and the possibilities for their implementation. The common conclusion: a large number of pilot projects show that automated public transport is technically feasible. A joint development platform that pools existing knowledge in order to achieve standardization and economies of scale and to establish a legal framework is now crucial for the transition from pilot projects to real-world operation.

Future Mobility Award

The morning program concluded with the Future Mobility Awards ceremony, which honors international start-ups for innovative and sustainable mobility solutions. This year’s winner is the start-up Nevomo with its innovative MagRail technology for modernizing existing railway infrastructure using magnetic drive components.

Specialist forums in the afternoon

In the afternoon, participants exchanged ideas in four specialist forums on the following topics:

“Smart mobility – AI and data as drivers of the future”
“Corporate mobility management – efficient solutions for businesses”
“Sustainable tourism – mobility solutions for tomorrow’s travel”
“Innovative mobility concepts for a livable future”

Current requirements and challenges were discussed in the various topic areas, and successful concepts and digital solutions were also presented. For example, communication and funding opportunities for measures and projects were also discussed.

Conclusion with international impulses

In the closing session, participants were treated to a special highlight at the end of the conference: Prof. Dr. Philipp Rode, Executive Director of LSE Cities, London School of Economics and Political Science (LSE), showed in his keynote speech how hybridity is changing work, leisure, and services and requires a rethink in urban development and transport planning. Prof. Dr. Christoph Hupfer, Director of the Baden-Württemberg Institute for Sustainable Mobility (BWIM) at Hochschule Karlsruhe (HKA), then presented a mobility vision that showed how transport users can jointly shape the mobility of tomorrow.

Accompanying exhibition

An accompanying exhibition was held throughout the day in the Gartenhalle of the Karlsruhe Congress Center, where participants were able to experience intelligent, networked, and climate-friendly mobility firsthand. More than 30 exhibitors from Germany, France, Austria, and Switzerland presented their products, services, and ideas in an area covering approximately 2,000 square meters. Further information, an overview of the exhibitors, and the complete program can be found at: www.regionalkonferenz-mobilitaetswende.de

Sponsors and partners

The 8th Regional Conference on the Mobility Transition was supported by EnBW AG, init SE, Karlsruhe Transport Authority (KVV), L-Bank, PTV Planung Transport Verkehr GmbH, THOST Projektmanagement GmbH, and Verkehrsverbund Rhein-Neckar GmbH. Cooperation partners were the Ministry of Transport Baden-Württemberg and the Rhineland-Palatinate Ministry of Economics, Transport, Agriculture, and Viticulture, while media partners were NahverkehrsPraxis and SWR Studio Karlsruhe. The event was held as part of the EU-funded project “European Digital Innovation Hub Artificial Intelligence and Cybersecurity (EDIH-AICS).”

About TechnologieRegion Karlsruhe GmbH

Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion GmbH is a regional, cross-state, and transnational location marketing organization focused on business, innovation, and science. Thinking, testing, and acting together – this is why 36 shareholders from business, science, and local government have joined forces in Karlsruhe TechnologyRegion GmbH. Their goal: to be a driving force for energy, mobility, and digitalization and to accelerate the process from idea to implementation. The aim is to develop model solutions for pressing issues of the future and to promote innovation in the region.
The shareholders are: the cities of Baden-Baden, Bretten, Bruchsal, Bühl, Ettlingen, Gaggenau, Karlsruhe, Landau, Rastatt, Rheinstetten, Stutensee, and Waghäusel; the districts of Germersheim, Karlsruhe, Rastatt, and Südliche Weinstraße; La Collectivité européenne d’Alsace, the Regional Association of the Middle Upper Rhine; the companies 4L Vision GmbH, Badischer Gemeinde-Versicherungs-Verband, Bechtle GmbH & Co. KG IT-Systemhaus Karlsruhe, EnBW Kommunale Beteiligungen GmbH, evohaus GmbH, GRENKE AG, init innovation in traffic systems SE, Karlsruher Sport-Club Mühlburg-Phönix GmbH & Co. Co. KGaA, MiRO Mineraloelraffinerie Oberrhein GmbH & Co. KG, Nussbaum Medien Verwaltungs-GmbH, SEW-EURODRIVE GmbH & Co KG, Sparkassen der Region, Versicherungscheck24 GmbH, and Vulcan Energie Ressourcen GmbH; the Chambers of Crafts Karlsruhe, the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Karlsruhe, and the Chamber of Industry and Commerce Palatinate; the scientific institutions FZI Research Center for Information Technology and the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology (KIT).

The Chairman of the Supervisory Board is Mayor Dr. Frank Mentrup (Karlsruhe), and the Managing Director is Jochen Ehlgötz.

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